Shaping Tomorrow Today
2022 Welcome Message from the President of ABASA
Dear Valued Stakeholders
It was on the 15th of December that I last wrote to you wishing you all a safe and restful holiday.
2021 did not end without it's challenges, however through it all we welcomed the opportunities to celebrate individual and organizational successes the best way we could ending the year with a spectacular 2 day National Convention which included our annual conference, gala dinner and ABASA awards evening.
Today I welcome you all back as we reopen our offices for the 2022 year after 40 days in office since being appointed as President of ABASA at our annual AGM held on the 2nd of December 2021.
It has been an eventful first few days of a 3 year term that is still ahead of me. We have seen matters come to our attention ranging from the SAICA APC 2021 crisis to the handing over of Part 1 of the State Capture Inquiry Report by Acting Chief Justice Raymond Zondo to State President Cyril Ramaphosa who has subsequently released this report for public viewing. Both these events have had a significant impact on the accounting profession with particular focus on the CA(SA) designation as detailed briefly below:
SAICA APC 2021
Following social media outcry over the technical crisis at the 2021 sitting of the SAICA APC board exam (second and final examination before qualifying as a CA(SA)) held in various locations across the country on the 1st of December 2021 and the subsequent concerning decision made by the SAICA Board regarding rewriting of the exam, ABASA released a statement primarily registering our concern over the lack of appropriate consultation in the decision communicated by the SAICA Board on the matter affecting the APC candidates.
Various stakeholders lended their voices in support of the concerns raised resulting in the SAICA Board re-evaluating their initial decision based on a report submitted by the management of SAICA which included the views collated from the
ABASA APC Townhall held on the 10th of December 2021.
ABASA welcomes the revised decision by the SAICA Board to allow for marking of scripts before an opportunity to rewrite is offered to all candidates. We also welcome the preventative measures to be put in place to avoid a reoccurrence of the issue going forward.
We also welcome the Board's appreciation of there being accountability for the unfortunate events that occurred on the days leading to and the day of the APC examination. The Board of ABASA will however be in continued engagement with SAICA management and Board on the promised accountability made in the initial statement by SAICA.
State Capture Report Part 1
This installment of the three part report provides findings and recommendations on the matter of SAA and its associated companies, The New Age, SARS and Public Procurement in South Africa. The matter of SAA is of particular concern as it implicates members of the accounting profession and puts the spotlight squarely on SAICA to investigate their members who are named in this report.
As ABASA we welcome and support the commitment by SAICA in a communication sent out on the 5th of January 2022. We also encourage other accounting and regulatory bodies which form part of our newly implemented National Council to take a similar deliberate stance should members of their bodies be implicated in the findings as the report unfolds over the next two months.
ABASA will be monitoring the findings and recommendations as they are released and we will communicate our position once we have engaged with the report in its totality. In the interim we encourage all our members to take a keen interest in this report and feel free to email your views to ABASA to ensure our position is representative of the collective views of you as members.
What to expect in Q1 of 2022
With the ushering in of a new Board at the elective AGM held on 2 December 2021, members and stakeholders can expect the following communication announcements and initiatives in quarter 1 of 2022:
1. Opening of applications for national strategic pillar heads and announcement of subsequent appointments (Education, Transformation and Economy)
2. Opening of applications for Managing Director and announcement of subsequent appointment
3. Deadline for provincial Elective AGMs and announcement of incoming provincial Chairpersons
4. New Leaders Induction Workshop (compulsory for all national leaders and office bearers)
5. National Council announcement
6. Circulations of preliminary annual calendar
7. President's Stakeholder Roadshow schedule announcement
All communication will be sent to members via our membership database so please ensure your membership is paid and contact details are up to date for the membership period 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2022 to be kept informed of news and upcoming events.
As we kick off the new year I am committing to issuing monthly communication to our members to consolidate the news and events for the month and inform you of key upcoming initiatives. I also look forward to sharing exciting news in my March message as I plan to revive something quite special in the history of our organization in quarter 2 of 2022. Watch this space
Until then keep well and stay safe. Remember to fly the ABASA flag with excellence and pride in your respective spaces of influence and impact.
Best,
Linda Maqoma
ABASA National President
