The Scholar
I’m a proud daughter of high school sweethearts, the eldest of three siblings, my name is Mbali which means flower. I was born and raised in Soweto. I was nurtured by a very strong woman, who was kind and generous, she taught me and my siblings to dream big, to be determined and to know we can accomplish anything we put our minds to.
My high school journey started in 2002 at Athlone Girls High School. The story of my career began when I was in grade 8, when my teacher asked us to create a job advertisement as part of our assignment. I did not know there was a qualification called Chartered Accountancy then, but I drew what I could best describe as an illustration of my desire to be involved in ‘counting money’. In Grade 9 I participated in a similar project, and I drew a similar illustration depicting my involvement in finance.
It was in Grade 10 that my love for accounting really began, and that passion quickly developed as I studied accountancy as a subject. I matriculated with merit, and I passed accountancy with a Distinction. I then got accepted at the University of Johannesburg for a B.com Accounting Degree and I pursued my dream of becoming a CA.
“A winner is a dreamer that never gives up”
-Nelson Mandela
The Student
My journey as a student started in 2007 at the University of Johannesburg and I graduated with a Bcom Accounting Degree in 2010. In 2012 I completed the University of Johannesburg BCTA program and qualified for the CTA program. I attempted CTA twice at the University of Johannesburg in 2013 and in 2014 however I was unsuccessful in both attempts. In 2015 I was blessed with the opportunity of being part of the UNISA Thuthuka program and I passed CTA successfully.
“The greatest glory in living lies in not never falling, but in rising every time we fall”
-Nelson Mandela
The Graduate
With my mother’s prayers and support I graduated with my Bcom accounting degree from the University of Johannesburg and obtained my CTA at UNISA through the UNISA Thuthuka program. The journey was not easy but having my mother’s support as my life mentor and my various mentors that I have been blessed with has helped me throughout my journey.
“Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again”
-Nelson Mandela
The Professional
After completing my CTA, I joined SNG Grant Thornton for my professional training through the three-year training contract. I passed my ITC at first attempt in 2016 however I struggled with APC, I was unsuccessful in the first two attempts in 2017 and 2018.In my third attempt in 2019 I passed, and I finally qualified as a Chartered Accountant.
My professional training was focused on external auditing, and it has been phenomenal with an all-rounded experience in various clients in multiple industries. I was exposed to a balance of large group engagements and medium sized entities which are on full IFRS and IFRS for SMME’s. I was also blessed with the opportunity of being part of other portfolios by being a training facilitator, virtual content designer, the recruitment of prospective young professionals and being part of business development projects, which exposed me to entrepreneurship skills. The firm allowed me to embrace my talents and gifts by allowing me to own my growth throughout my time as a Young Professional and Audit Manager.
“It always seems impossible until it’s done”
-Nelson Mandela
The Sister
My greatest supporters are my siblings and they have been my cheerleaders throughout my journey. In life you need support in everything that you do in your journey because you need people in your life to do great things. When our mother passed on in 2016 after I had passed ITC, life was not the same anymore but having my siblings as my supporters kept me going no matter what. Indeed, there is power in unity because our unity has given us healing, hope, love and excitement about life again after our mother’s passing
“Surround yourself with people who are going to take you higher”
-Oprah Winfrey
The Guilder
I’m a member of the Wesley Guild a Christian youth organization in the Methodist church of Southern Africa. I joined the organization in 2012 and served as a treasurer from 2012 to 2014. Our objectives as Guilders are to G(Go), U(Unite), I(Inspire), (L) Love and D(Develop) others. We are also rooted with the 4 C’s, the pillars of the Wesley Guild which entail:
- Consecration-Learning to dedicate our lives to Christ and commit ourselves to His service.
- Comradeship-Creating a fellowship of young Methodists and other Christians in our society, country and world, and committing ourselves to one another and our spiritual growth.
- Culture-Learning to understand ourselves in the world and to be creative in it.
- Christian Service-Committing ourselves to the well being of others at all levels of need.
My passion lies in mentoring and through mentoring my focus is mainly on the Christian service “C”, which is aimed at combating the social issues faced by young people. Having been in the profession to date and having worked with young professionals I have realized that more can be done through mentoring of the young professionals by assisting them with the essential skills of accomplishing their career goals and aspirations.
When I joined the Wesley Guild in 2012 my scripture was from Matthew 5 v 13-16 “be the salt and light” which means be a vessel of inspiration, hope and love. Mentoring is being a vessel of encouraging, educating and empowering others in the journey called life.
“Be the salt and light”
-Matthew 5 v13-16
The Mentor
In my time as an Audit Manager, I have been blessed with working with so many diverse young professionals and that has been the greatest reward in my role. I have enjoyed teaching, imparting knowledge, providing advise on both life and technical issues. I then started a mentoring initiative for the young professionals that I work with to thank them for the wonderful work they have done on my engagements that I have managed.
The sessions would be held on weekends in the mornings, and we would tackle past board exams together through unpacking key principles and how to improve their exam technique skills in preparation for their exams. The feedback has been excellent for the ITC mentees with a pass rate of 80%. In my journey I have realized that mentoring is vital in the CA journey as one needs a guide and supporter in their journey.
I have been very blessed with various mentors in every phase of my journey, and I have seen the benefits of having a mentor. The guidance and support I received has assisted me in achieving my goals and aspirations in my journey.
Through ISIKHUTHAZI I aim to pass on my experiences and the wisdom I acquired throughout my journey to aspiring CA’s.
