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06 April 2023 | Story Kekeletso Takang | Photo Quinter Onyango
UFS Academic tutors
UFS academic trainees thrilled at passing the January 2023 ITC exam.
An important milestone in the journey to becoming a chartered accountant in South Africa begins with passing the Initial Test of Competence (ITC) examination of the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA). The examination is written after obtaining an accredited postgraduate qualification in accountancy. This milestone was reached by virtually all (98%) BAccHons/PGDip (Chartered Accountancy) graduates from the class of 2022 at the University of the Free State (UFS). Results announced by SAICA on 31 March 2023 further indicate that UFS graduates obtained an overall pass rate of 93%, exceeding the national pass rate of 75%. 

“These results confirm the ‘quality’ and ‘excellence’ of the Chartered Accountancy academic programme offered by the UFS and attest to the effectiveness of the learning and teaching approaches adopted by the School of Accountancy, and the commitment of the school’s staff to their students’ success,” said Prof Frans Prinsloo, Director of the School of Accountancy.

Voices of the future

Bakang Moraladi, an academic trainee in the School of Accountancy who took and passed the January 2023 ITC exam, believes the open-door policy followed by the academic staff made it possible for him to establish a support structure. “The staff in the UFS School of Accountancy really goes all out to ensure that what I regard as the toughest academic year (CTA/PGCA) goes smoothly. Despite very hectic schedules, staff in the School of Accountancy still find time to provide mentorship to students to ensure that they are equipped with the right knowledge and skills before sitting for the ITC. I had the privilege of having the Director of the School of Accountancy as a mentor. Although I had a mentor dedicated to me, the staff members in the School of Accountancy literally had their doors open to offer guidance whenever necessary,” he says.

Kyle Horak, a graduate of the class of 2022 and also an academic trainee in the School of Accountancy, attributes a big part of his success to the support provided by the academic staff. “I would not have been able to do it without the UFS. The support they provide is tremendous. At the beginning of the PGCA year, it feels as if the lecturers are ‘out to get you’ with all the submissions and the impossible tests, but as time goes on, you start to notice that there is method to the madness, and due to the work done by the lecturers, the ITC examination becomes manageable.” He passed the ITC exam with a final mark of more than 75%, making him part of a select group of only 65 candidates (from the more than 3 000 candidates who wrote the examination).
Other academic trainees employed by the School of Accountancy who passed this exam, are Courteney Crew, Phiwe Ndwebi, Somila Joka, Bokang Makatsa, Jubilee Mushonga, and Jeandre Strauss.

Integrated approach

The School of Accountancy attributes these results to a myriad of factors. For example, the school employs an award-winning learning and teaching approach that is student-centred, combining the efforts of academic and support staff to achieve student success. In addition, learner tracking and monitoring is facilitated through its Thuthuka and Intrabas units, in addition to peer-to-peer mentoring structures where students can learn from and support each other. While focus is placed on students’ academic performance, they are afforded a balanced approach that includes informal social events that assists in breaking down barriers between lecturers and students. 

One such student who benefited from this teaching approach is Ruwardo Wemmert, a UFS graduate who was placed fourth in the January 2023 ITC exams of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Namibia (ICAN), where the two UFS graduates from the class of 2022 who wrote the ICAN ITC examination, passed. 

Journey to success

The ITC serves as the first of two SAICA qualifying examinations, assessing candidates’ technical competence acquired through the academic programme, by requiring the candidate to analyse and evaluate specific scenarios presented. 

“Success in the ITC means I am only one more professional exam away from being a CA(SA). Over and above the support provided by the School of Accountancy team, Thuthuka supported me in every dimension. Next up for me is successfully completing my 3 600 hours of practical training and then obtaining that four-letter designation: CA(SA).  I will be a change maker – I have a lot to give to society, and my goal is to be the ultimate difference maker.” These are the words of Somila Joka, one of the 2022 graduates and academic trainees in the School of Accountancy.

News Archive

Access to the Bloemfontein Campus
2015-04-02

Access Control Made Easy

The first phase of access control at the University of the Free State (UFS) was implemented in August 2014. The aim of this initiative is to tighten security measures on the Bloemfontein Campus.
 
Since November 2014, access control has been implemented at all five gates on the Bloemfontein Campus. These are:

  • The Main gate in Nelson Mandela Drive (Gate 1)
  • The gate in DF Malherbe Drive (Gate 5)
  • The gate in Wynand Mouton Drive (Gate 3) 
  • The gate in Furstenburg Street (Gate 4)
  • The gate in Badenhorst Street (Gate 2)

Here is some useful information about the access control system:

1. Remember your access card when you enter the campus

Dual-function cards (with distance reader compatibility) will make your movement through the gates more convenient. The university’s access system works automatically with remote or swipe action. Please make sure that you drive close to the reader or, better still, get the dual-frequency card to manage the distance between your vehicle and the remote card reader.

As of 23 March 2015, the extra security staff, who have been assisting at the gates since the implementation of access control on the Bloemfontein Campus, are no longer manning the card readers at the gates. Therefore, persons without cards will be able to enter the campus only at the one gate in DF Malherbe Drive where the Visitors Centre is situated. They will be referred to the Visitors Centre, where a day visitor’s card will be issued to them. You will need to produce a formal identification document (e.g. ID book, driver's licence).

Security will continue their normal duties at the guardhouses for the various gates on the campus.

2. Where do I get an access card?

You can apply at the university’s Visitors Centre front desk by producing your positive identification (ID book/passport/driver’s licence) and proof of payment for your access card.

You will then be directed to the Thakaneng Bridge where you will be able to collect your access card.

  • Go to the Cashier on the Thakaneng Bridge and pay your R65 for the dual-frequency card
  • Take your receipt, together with your existing card (if you have one), to the Card Division on the Thakaneng Bridge (next to Mellins Optometrists)
  • A new photo will be taken of you at the Card Office for your new card. Your new card will then be issued immediately.

Currently, there is a sufficient stock of the dual-frequency cards available at the Card Division on the Thakaneng Bridge.
 
Alternatively, you can apply online for your access card: http://apps.ufs.ac.za/cardapplication/application.aspx

Make sure you have the following documents ready to attach when completing the online form:

  • Copy of positive identification: ID/Driver's Licence/Passport
  • Signed declaration (http://supportservices.ufs.ac.za/dl/Userfiles/Documents/00007/4668_eng.pdf) by your service provider/employer (if you are a service provider) or a letter of confirmation from your spouse/partner/relative/coach/relevant UFS staff member or student in cases where you have to visit, pick-up or drop off your spouse/partner/relative frequently on the UFS Bloemfontein Campus.

Cost: R65 for a long-term card and free of charge for short-term visits and conference delegates. Pay at the Cashier on the Thakaneng Bridge or at Absa Bank, Account Number: 1 570 8500 71, Ref: 1 413 07670 0198.

3. Cutoff Date: 7 April 2015

After 7 April 2015, no pedestrian or motorist will be able to enter the campus without a valid access card. Persons without access cards will have to enter the campus at the gate in DF Malherbe Drive where the Visitors Centre is situated. You will then be referred to the Visitors Centre where you will have to apply for a day visitor’s card. It is important to note that no one will be able to enter the campus at the Visitors Centre without a formal identification document (e.g. ID book, driver's licence).

4. Dual-frequency card simplifies access to the campus

It is important to have your card ready on entering the campus.

This card will simplify access to the campus considerably, as the card reader will read the card when it is held in a vertical position at the driver’s side window in the direction of the distance reader. Please do not place the card on the dashboard. There is an antenna wire in the card. If the card is placed on the dashboard, you are not exposing the card surface to the reader, and that might influence the antenna’s response to the reader.

Remember, the distance between the reader and the boom is only a few metres.  If you approach the reader at a ’high’ speed, you are not allowing the system to identify your card, match it to the entry in the database, check if you are ‘legal’, and then send a signal to open the boom. 

All five gates are equipped with distance readers. Within the next three weeks, two extra distance readers will also be installed at the Main Gate in Nelson Mandela Drive.
 
Please note that the dual-frequency card is needed only when you enter the campus with a vehicle and you want to activate the distance reader. All the older cards will continue to work at the tag readers. 

5. Use alternative gates

At times, some of the gates carry more traffic than others, especially with the peak morning and afternoon traffic. Gates with less traffic include:

  • The gate in Badenhorst Street
  • The gate in DF Malherbe Drive
  • The gate in Nelson Mandela Drive

You are welcome to make use of one of these alternative gates.

6. Pedestrians

No pedestrian will be able to enter the Bloemfontein Campus without a valid access card. If you have left your card at home or have lost it, you should enter the campus at the gate in DF Malherbe Drive where the Visitors Centre is situated. You will be referred to the Visitors Centre where you can apply for a day visitor’s card. You will still need to produce a formal identification document (e.g. ID book, driver's licence).

7. More information

Email: visitorscentre@ufs.ac.za
Visitors Centre front desk: Tel: +27 51 401 7766 (Mondays-Fridays 07:45-16:30)
Card Division: Tel: +27 51 401 2799 (Mondays-Fridays 07:45-16:30)
Protection Services duty room: +27 51 401 2634 (24 hours)

 

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