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UFS students attain a 94.7% pass rate in challenging SAICA exam

23 August 2019 | Story Valentino Ndaba

UFS Accountancy students — The UFS School of Accountancy is fast becoming one of the best in the country.

Becoming a Chartered Accountant (SA) entails successfully completing the rigorous education and training requirements set by the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA). As part of these requirements, all prospective CAs are required to write SAICA’s challenging Initial Test of Competence (ITC). A total of 83 graduates from the University of the Free State (UFS) passed the 2019 ITC examinations, making the Kovsie community and School of Accountancy proud.

Prof Frans Prinsloo, the Director at the UFS School of Accountancy, applauded the successful graduates – of whom 39 are African, five coloured, one Indian, and 38 white. “More than 55% of our graduates who wrote the exam are black (African, coloured and Indian), demonstrating that our emphasis on building the pipeline of under-represented prospective Chartered Accountants (SA) is paying off in terms of both racial and gender inclusion.”

Rising above the ultimate test
SAICA released the results of the June 2019 ITC examination on Friday 16 August 2019. The ITC examination is the first of two professional examinations required for qualification as a Chartered Accountant (SA), and is written shortly after completion of formal university studies. There are two sittings of this examination annually, in January and June.

Compared to the national average pass rate of 75.4% for the 2019 ITC examinations, UFS BAcc Honours and Postgraduate Diploma in Chartered Accountancy graduates delivered a superior performance. The 94.7% pass show that our graduates are a force to be reckoned with.

Upping standards
More than 10 of the Thuthuka Bursary Programme graduates of 2018 who wrote the 2019 ITC examinations, passed, which translates into a 92% pass for this group. Such an achievement also confirms the success of the bursary programme ‘wraparound support’ interventions, by delivering results well in excess of the national average. These interventions also extend to the development of professional skills essential for the corporate world – thereby ensuring that these graduates are not only technically strong, but ‘work-ready’.

Best in the business of excellence
“These results place the UFS School of Accountancy amongst the best in the country in terms of Chartered Accountancy education, and is testament to the hard work of the academic staff and the quality of our CA programme,” says Prof Prinsloo.

News Archive

Triumph of the Human Spirit – a symbol of hope

2015-08-24

Ahmed Kathrada discusses his latest book, Triumph of the Human Spirit.
Photo: Johan Roux

“A triumph of courage and determination over human frailty and weakness; a triumph of the new South Africa over the old.” – Ahmed Kathrada

Ahmed Kathrada, stalwart of South Africa’s liberation struggle, visited the Bloemfontein Campus on 18 August 2015 to launch his latest book, Triumph of the Human Spirit. Turning page after page, the reader travels back with Uncle Kathy – as he is fondly known – to revisit Robben Island with the more than 300 guests he has accompanied since 1994. With each photo – be it a celebrity or school child, head of state or famous artist, friend or royalty – the significance of the island is eternalised, right alongside Ahmed Kathrada.

Message of triumph
“Why this specific title for the book?” Prof André Keet, Director of the Institute for Reconciliation and Social Justice (IRSJ), asked during the book launch. “Robben Island,” Kathrada answered, “should not be remembered only as a place of suffering – that’s history. But the message of Robben Island is the message of triumph – triumph of the human spirit over all sorts of adversities.”

Speaking about Kathrada’s quiet but profound impact, Zaakirah Vadi, editor of the book, said “I think Uncle Kathy does not realise what an inspiration his own strength of spirit is”. The fight for human values and dignity was “honed and perfected in the cells of Robben Island,” she said. “It created the vision for a new South Africa and, as Uncle Kathy puts it, the triumph of the new South Africa over the old.”

UFS surprises Ahmed Kathrada with a birthday cake.
Photo: Johan Roux

Freedom was sacrifice
This triumph was not achieved without a cost, though. “No freedom comes on a platter,” Kathrada said. “Freedom was fought for. Freedom was sacrifice. Through the sacrifices of those who did not survive, we are still here to tell the story.”

And that is exactly what Triumph of the Human Spirit does. As Kgalema Motlanthe writes in the foreword, “This book serves as a preservation of history and a symbol of hope.”

Birthday celebration
Just as the event seemed to come to a close, members of the Student Representative Council carried a candle-lit cake – shaped in the number 86 – toward Kathrada. This surprise was organised by the UFS to celebrate his birthday on 21 August 2015. And, as the audience cheered and sang, Kathrada’s smile spread like a light across the hall.

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