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06 April 2020 | Story Nitha Ramnath | Photo Sonia Small
Students on Campus
UFS accounting students are flying the Kovsie flag high.

The School of Accountancy is proud to announce that 55 (74%) of the 2019 graduates for the BAcc Honours and Postgraduate Diploma in Chartered Accountancy programmes have passed the Initial Test of Competence (ITC) examination for the Chartered Accountant (SA) designation, compared to the national average of 68% for first-time candidates.

The results were recently released by the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA). The ITC examination is the first of two professional examinations required for qualification as a chartered accountant (SA), and is written shortly after completing formal university studies, with two sittings of this examination annually, i.e. in January and June.

Of the 2019 Thuthuka Bursary Programme, seven out of eight graduates passed, translating into an 88% pass rate for this group.

Prof Frans Prinsloo, Director of the School of Accountancy, said: “I am pleased to report that these results confirm the quality and excellence of our CA programmes – a point repeatedly noted by the SAICA monitoring team during their formal feedback session last week.  These results are also testament to the hard work and dedication of the academic staff in the school.”

News Archive

Lecturer’s debut novel wins ATKV Prize for Fiction
2015-10-14

Dr Francois Smith
Photo: Johan Roux

Kamphoer made its debut on the literary scene just over a year ago, and on 11 September 2015, it was declared the best novel by the Afrikaanse Taal en Kultuurvereniging (ATKV). This is not the first time Kamphoer has been recognised as literary gem. Earlier this year, the novel was shortlisted for the W A Hofmeyr Prize as well as the Huisgenoot Tempo Award.

Dr Francois Smith, the author, joined the University of the Free State (UFS) as a lecturer in the Department of Afrikaans and Dutch, German and French at the beginning of this year. Prior to entering the academic sphere, he dedicated about 11 years of his life to editing for a publishing house. Certainly, helping other people write and produce books thoroughly prepared him for authorship.

For three months, Smith spent eight hours a day creating his award-winning masterpiece. The secret of success lies in the ABC formula. “The ABC for writing is Apply Back to Chair. You have to go and sit down and start typing,” he says.

That is when passion meets imagination, albeit at times, one might also need inspiration. Smith applied this winning formula meticulously, and it has resulted in over 30 000 copies of Kamphoer being sold since July 2014.

He was taken aback by the novel’s warm reception. “I wrote a book, finished it, and knew that it wasn’t bad but I never for one moment imagined that it would be such a big commercial success,” he said.

About Kamphoer

The book which Smith describes as a good but not an easy read about a disturbing subject is the true story of a woman who was brutally raped during the South African War and left for dead.  After the traumatic experience, she dedicates her life to helping others deal with similar ordeals, re-encountering her rapists in the process.

About the award

Kamphoer emerged as an exceptional contribution amongst two other finalists. Kerneels Breytenbach’s Ester as well as Harry Kalmer’s ’n Duisend stories oor Johannesburg were also competing for the prestigious award.


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