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05 October 2020 | Story Nitha Ramnath | Photo Supplied
Haneke van Zyl and Mojalefa Mosala.
This year, two finalists from the University of the Free State School of Accountancy have made the top-35 South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA) competition. Mojalefa Mosala and Haneke van Zyl were both selected from a number of entries after a rigorous selection process by SAICA.  

 “The selection of the 35 finalists has taken longer than expected due to the amount of entries received, and the calibre of our entrants – we had a difficult task to select the finalists,” commented SAICA. 

Mojalefa ‘Jeff’ Mosala is a Chartered Accountancy lecturer in the School of Accountancy. He received the Innovative Teaching and Learning Award for his ground-breaking and value-adding work on community engagement presented at the South African Higher Education Community Engagement Forum (SAHECEF) in 2019. 

He is chairperson of the SAICA Bloemfontein District Forum and is involved in SAICA’s mathematics camps. Mosala also participates in the governance structures of several non-profit organisations. This includes serving at national level as an investment and audit committee member for the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa (UCCSA). He also serves as director of finance in the Free State Cricket Union (FSCU), an affiliate of Cricket South Africa, and as board member and chairperson of the finance committee.

Mosala believes in the value of servanthood. “I understand the responsibility that comes with my abilities; I pursue relevance in the modern age as a young CA(SA) by continually seeking to add value. That is how I approach my teaching, mentoring, and leadership responsibilities,” he says.

Haneke van Zyl is the Programme Director: General Accountancy and Research within the School of Accountancy. She joined the school in 2015, after which she obtained her master’s degree and was later promoted to Programme Director. A lecturer and PhD candidate focusing on student accounting language comprehension, Van Zyl plays an active role in a SAICA academic-funded literacy project in collaboration with the School of Accountancy. 

Van Zyl has secured two professional programme accreditations to expand opportunities for current students. Through her willingness to learn and hunger to develop, she ensures that her voice is heard. She is a mother of two and lives by the saying, ‘good leaders do not tell you what to do, they show you how it is done.’ 



News Archive

Prof Finkelstein current and only A-rated researcher in Probability and Statistics in SA
2014-10-28



Prof Maxim Finkelstein
Photo: Johan Roux
Prof Maxim Finkelstein from the Department of Mathematical Statistics at the University of the Free State (UFS) received an A-rating from the National Research Foundation (NRF). This makes him the only A-rated researcher in ‘Probability and Statistics’ regarding Mathematical Sciences in the country.

According to the NRF-rating process, a person with an A-rating is a world leader in his field. 

Prof Jonathan Jansen, Vice-Chancellor and Rector, said: "I am absolutely delighted for Professor Finkelstein and for the fact that this is one of the clearest signs that the UFS has significantly increased its standards of research across the institution as a whole."

Prof Finkelstein says this rating means a great deal to him, since it is a reflection of his dedication and perseverance.

“Of course, the rating is not a goal in itself,” Prof Finkelstein says. “The goal is the high quality research and the rating is just an objective indication of this. Along with the satisfaction, this rating brings the responsibility for maintaining this high status in the future.”

Prof Finkelstein conducts his general research in the field of ‘Probability and Statistics’, but his specific area of focus is ‘Stochastic Modelling’. Prof Finkelstein solely lectures postgraduate students and also mentors a few master’s and PhD students. This affords him the time to mainly concentrate on his research.

“Finally, I wish to emphasise the fact that high-quality research became the prime goal at the UFS,” says Prof Finkelstein. He underscores the efforts of the Vice-Chancellor and the Vice-Rector: Research in creating excellent possibilities for researchers. This has already resulted in remarkable improvements in the UFS’s research outputs – and consequently an increase in the number of rated researchers at the university.

A total of 119 UFS researchers currently have evaluation and rating status from the NRF, says Nico Benson, Deputy Director: Research Development. Currently (October 2014) 29 researchers are still waiting for response from the NRF regarding applications submitted. A total of 16 ratings are already known. On the Qwaqwa Campus of the UFS, five researchers are rated.

Prof Finkelstein's A-rating will become effective from 1 January 2015. Ratings are valid for a period of six years and researchers are invited to apply for re-evaluation in the fifth year.


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