Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
Previous Archive
03 August 2023 | Story Leonie Bolleurs | Photo Supplied
ABASA 2023
This year, ABASA hosted the sixth annual Prof Wiseman Nkuhlu lecture at the UFS. Attending the event were, from the left: Ayanda Mafuleka, the CEO of FASSET; Linda Maqoma, the current President of ABASA; Tantaswa Fubu, speaker at the event, past president of ABASA, and CEO of Great Well; back: Prof Frans Prinsloo, the Head of the School of Accountancy; Prof Phillipe Burger, the Dean of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences; and Dr Molapo Qhobela, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Institutional Change, Strategic Partnerships and Societal Impact.

This year, the Association for the Advancement of Black Accountants of Southern Africa (ABASA), in partnership with the Finance and Accounting Services Sector Education and Training Authority (FASSET), hosted the sixth annual Prof Wiseman Nkuhlu lecture in the Equitas Auditorium on the University of the Free State (UFS) Bloemfontein Campus in the form of a hybrid event.

This gave effect to the wish of Prof Wiseman Nkuhlu, the first black chartered accountant in South Africa, to have the event in Bloemfontein to strengthen his relationship with the UFS School of Accountancy

The lecture, delivered by Tantaswa Fubu, ABASA past president and CEO of Great Well, was titled: The Value of Accountants Reimagined. 

Supporting societal transformation

In welcoming delegates to the UFS, Dr Molapo Qhobela, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Institutional Change, Strategic Partnerships and Societal Impact, stated that higher education has several related purposes, including contributing to and supporting the process of societal transformation. According to him, universities exist, among others, to contribute to the socialisation of enlightened, responsible, and constructively critical citizens. “We must encourage in our graduates the new development of a reflective capacity and a willingness to review and renew prevailing ideas,” he said.

Prof Frans Prinsloo, Head of the School of Accountancy, was delighted to welcome the leadership representatives from several of the professional bodies that accredit the academic programmes of the school. These include the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), the South African Institute of Professional Accountants (SAIPA), which accredits the BCom (Acc), and the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA), which accredits the BAcc programme for CA(SA) purposes, and the BCom (Acc) for AGA(SA) purposes.

“We value our relationship with ABASA, as we can tap into a network of successful but diverse accountancy professionals who can serve as role models and mentors to our students, preparing them to be responsible professional accountants who contribute to the development of the South African economy,” said Prof Prinsloo. 

A group of roughly 200 delegates attended the event, including Nonkuleleko Gobodo, the first black woman to qualify as a Chartered Accountant (SA); Linda Maqoma, the President of ABASA; Sibusiso Nduna, ABASA’s Business Forum Chairperson; Ayanda Mafuleka, the CEO of FASSET; Bonga Mokoena, CEO of BDO; Emma Mashilwane, co-founder and CEO of MASA Risk Advisory Services; staff and students of the UFS; Tariro Mutizwa from CIMA; Robert Zwane from SAICA; Portia Mkhabela from ACCA; Moses Hlongoane from the UNISA College of Accounting Sciences; Faith Ngwenya from SAIPA; as well as leadership representatives from the Free State Provincial Treasury, KPMG, and SAPRO.

Maqoma, speaking on behalf of ABASA, said this list of attendees shows the power of ABASA to convene industry leaders in one room for a common cause – the advancement of black accountants in South Africa. “It is not only about the names and the titles, but the impact that ABASA has in convening and in making change through the influence of everybody who has partnered with them over the 38 years of the organisation,” she said. 

She added that to be the 17th president of ABASA is an absolute honour, but to be the fifth woman president means more. “It is a testament to what transformation means to ABASA. We are leaders in the transformation – we have not only delivered in the racial transformation, but also gender transformation and we are making sure that women’s voices are heard, women's leadership is respected, and is given a platform to lead.” 

Courage over comfort

In her opening remarks, Fubu stated, “If we want to live as significant a life as that of Prof Nkuhlu, we need to take pages from his book. She believes he was a pathfinder who shaped the field of accountancy in South Africa to what it is today. 

“If we can embrace qualities such as grace, humility, excellence, sacrifice, courage, care, Ubuntu, and many more, why not shape our lives around this inspiring role model we have? Reading the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, he believed that we were created in God’s image and that we have a role to fulfil as the son and daughter of God on earth,” said Fubu. 

According to her, the moral decay of South Africa is evident for everyone to see. There is something fundamentally wrong and we need to address how it can be reversed, she noted.

“As accountants, we lost our voice when facing a leadership that seeks to self-enrich. When did we become cowards, selling our souls to the highest bidder? We are not here to win the Mr/Ms Congeniality contest,” Fubu remarked. 

She commented that the profession must refuse to sit with narcissistic leaders who misuse their power, which should be used to serve others instead.

“The problem is with leaders who don’t call out other leaders for their reckless behaviour in leading.” Fubu, however, continued, stating the importance of introspection instead of blaming others. “We must look within to understand our contribution to the status quo.”

“Remember, the call to leadership is always choosing courage over comfort. Due to our cowardice, we have not challenged the rot of society. In this country, we have democratised shamelessness and corruption. We do and say absolutely nothing. Hopelessness is fast becoming part of our DNA. When people lose hope, they accept their fate and lose the ability to fight for a better life. We must infuse hope into every citizen. As accountants, we should be instrumental in delivering a better future for South Africa,” she said.

Fubu urged the accounting profession to remain true to Prof Nkuhlu's legacy and to lead with impeccable values, responding to the needs of people. This approach will enable people to thrive and aid in eradicating poverty and building a South Africa that cares for its young.

She challenged everyone, stating that there are many potential Prof Wiseman Nkuhlus in the audience. “But we need to break with fear, self-preservation, and cowardice. We need to rise and be the best we can be,” Fubu stated.

In a video message, Prof Nkuhlu left dignitaries with food for thought, stating that as accountancy professionals, it is necessary to pause from time to time and reimagine the relevance and contribution we have made. He highlighted, “We must establish if we are the difference makers we aspire to be.”

News Archive

Boyden Observatory turns 120
2009-05-13

 

At the celebration of the 120th year of existence of the UFS's Boyden Observatory are, from the left: Prof. Herman van Schalkwyk, Dean: Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences at the UFS, Prof. Driekie Hay, Vice-Rector: Academic Planning at the UFS, Mr Ian Heyns from AngloGold Ashanti and his wife, Cheryl, and Prof. François Retief, former rector of the UFS and patron of the Friends of Boyden.
Photo: Hannes Pieterse

The Boyden Observatory, one of the oldest observatories in the Southern Hemisphere and a prominent beacon in Bloemfontein, recently celebrated its 120th year of existence.

This milestone was celebrated by staff, students, other dignitaries of the University of the Free State (UFS) and special guests at the observatory last week.

“The observatory provides the Free State with a unique scientific, educational and tourist facility. No other city in South Africa, and few in the world, has a public observatory with telescopes the size and quality of those at Boyden,” said Prof. Herman van Schalkwyk, Dean of the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences at the UFS.

The observatory, boasting the third-largest optical telescope in South Africa, has a long and illustrious history. It was established on a temporary site on Mount Harvard near the small town of Chosica, Peru in 1889. Later it was moved to Arequipa in Peru where important astronomical observations were made from 1891 to 1926. “However, due to unstable weather patterns and observing conditions, it was decided to move the Boyden Station to another site somewhere else in the Southern Hemisphere, maybe South Africa,” said Prof. Van Schalkwyk.

South Africa's excellent climatic conditions were fairly well known and in 1927 the instruments were shipped and the Boyden Station was set up next to Maselspoort near Bloemfontein. Observations began in September 1927 and in 1933 the new site was officially completed, including the 60 inch (1.5 m) telescope, which was then the largest optical telescope in the Southern Hemisphere. This telescope was recently refurbished to a modern research instrument.

The observatory has various other telescopes and one of them, the 13" refractor telescope, which was sent to Arequipa in 1891 and later to Bloemfontein, is still in an excellent condition. Another important telescope is the Watcher Robotic Telescope of the University College Dublin, which conducts many successful observations of gamma ray bursts.

“In the first few decades of the twentieth century, the Boyden Observatory contributed considerably to our understanding of the secrets of the universe at large. The period luminosity relationship of the Cepheid variable stars was, for example, discovered from observations obtained at Boyden. This relationship is one of the cornerstones of modern astrophysics. It is currently used to make estimates of the size and age of the universe from observations of the Hubble Space Telescope,” said Prof. Van Schalkwyk.

“The Boyden Observatory contributed to the university’s astrophysics research group being able to produce the first M.Sc. degrees associated with the National Space Science Programme (NASSAP) in the country and the Boyden Science Centre plays an important role in science and technology awareness of learners, teachers and the general public,” said Prof. Van Schalkwyk.

The Boyden Science Centre has also formed strong relationships with various institutions, including the South African Agency for the Advancement of Science and Technology (SAASTA) and the Department of Science and Technology. The centre has already conducted many different projects for the Department of Science and Technology, including National Science Week projects, as well as National Astronomy Month projects. It also serves as one of the hosts of SAASTA’s annual Astronomy Quiz.

Media Release:
Lacea Loader
Assistant Director: Media Liaison
Tel: 051 401 2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: loaderl.stg@ufs.ac.za
13 May 2009
 

We use cookies to make interactions with our websites and services easy and meaningful. To better understand how they are used, read more about the UFS cookie policy. By continuing to use this site you are giving us your consent to do this.

Accept