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22 November 2024 | Story Lunga Luthuli | Photo Supplied
International Audit Week 2024
UFS students at Coventry University’s International Audit Week, marking a historic first for South African and Global South universities participating in this prestigious global accountancy gathering.

In a significant first for any university in South Africa and the Global South, five students from the University of the Free State (UFS) participated in Coventry University’s prestigious International Audit Week (IAW). This global gathering of top accountancy students from various countries took place from 28 to 30 October 2024 in England.

The UFS School of Accountancy earned the invitation through a Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) project initiated earlier this year. Prof Frans Prinsloo, Vice-Dean for Learning, Teaching, Innovation, and Digitalisation in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, said, “Our participation signifies a major step in our internationalisation strategy. We were the first university from the Global South to attend, showcasing our students’ exceptional skills and fostering global collaboration.”

Trailblazing students

The selected students – Charlene Black, Twisiso Mathonsi, Heike de Nysschen, Charlize Oosthuizen, and Boitumelo Radebe – are among the top performers in the Postgraduate Programmes in Chartered Accountancy (PGCA). These future chartered accountants were chosen based on their stellar mid-year results, as final marks were unavailable before the trip.

Black expressed her excitement, stating, “Being selected to represent UFS at such a prestigious event was a tremendous privilege. It reinforced my decision to pursue the CA(SA) qualification and inspired me to make impactful contributions to the profession.”

Mathonsi, equally thrilled, reflected on the significance of the experience, saying, “Attending IAW was a dream come true. It validated my hard work and gave me a unique opportunity to engage with global perspectives on auditing.”

International insights and learnings

The week’s highlights included interactive sessions and industry tours. Black found the visit to Morgan Motors particularly inspiring, noting, “Witnessing their manufacturing process and reliance on paper-based job cards was fascinating. It was a reminder of the diverse practices within industries globally.”

Mathonsi recalled the collaborative activities, particularly a group project at Shakespeare’s birthplace. “It was both fun and insightful, emphasising teamwork across cultural and linguistic differences,” he said.

The students were exposed to cutting-edge developments in auditing, including the integration of artificial intelligence. These insights deepened their understanding of global industry trends and standards, such as the IFRS Foundation Standards and International Standards of Auditing, and highlighted differences in professional qualifications and practices between South Africa and the UK.

Sponsorship and support

This historic participation was made possible by the generosity of sponsors, who contributed over R250,000. The Raubex Group led with R150,000, followed by Rain Chartered Accountants (R50,000), Core Bloemfontein (R20,000 and K-Way jackets), the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (R20,000), and Interstate Bus Lines (R10,000).

Prof Prinsloo emphasised the importance of such collaborations: “Our visionary sponsors recognised the immense benefits of this initiative for our students. Their support underscores the value they place on nurturing future leaders.”

Global impact and future plans

The experience not only elevated the students’ aspirations but also boosted the UFS’s international reputation. “Our students’ technical competence often surpassed that of their peers, cementing UFS as a global player in accountancy education,” Prof Prinsloo noted.

Looking ahead, the School of Accountancy plans to expand its international partnerships and aims to host the International Audit Week in Bloemfontein by 2026. For Mathonsi, the advice to future students is clear: “Work hard even when no one is watching; dedication always pays off.”

The UFS delegation’s success at IAW exemplifies the university’s commitment to excellence, global engagement, and producing graduates poised to make a difference on international and local platforms.

News Archive

Carbon dioxide makes for more aromatic decaffeinated coffee
2017-10-27


 Description: Carbon dioxide makes for more aromatic decaffeinated coffee 1b Tags: Carbon dioxide makes for more aromatic decaffeinated coffee 1b 

The Inorganic Group in the Department of Chemistry
at the UFS is systematically researching the utilisation
of carbon dioxide. From the left, are, Dr Ebrahiem Botha,
Postdoctoral Fellow; Mahlomolo Khasemene, MSc student;
Prof André Roodt; Dr Marietjie Schutte-Smith, Senior Lecturer;
and Mokete Motente, MSc student.
Photo: Charl Devenish

Several industries in South Africa are currently producing hundreds of thousands of tons of carbon dioxide a year, which are released directly into the air. A typical family sedan doing around 10 000 km per year, is annually releasing more than one ton of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

The Inorganic Chemistry Research Group in the Department of Chemistry at the University of the Free State (UFS), in collaboration with the University of Zurich in Switzerland, has focused in recent years on using carbon dioxide – which is regarded as a harmful and global warming gas – in a meaningful way. 

According to Prof André Roodt, Head of Inorganic Chemistry at the UFS, the Department of Chemistry has for the past five decades been researching natural products that could be extracted from plants. These products are manufactured by plants through photosynthesis, in other words the utilisation of sunlight and carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and other nutrients from the soil.

Caffeine and chlorophyll 
“The Inorganic group is systematically researching the utilisation of carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is absorbed by plants through chlorophyll and used to make interesting and valuable compounds and sugars, which in turn could be used for the production of important new medicines,” says Prof Roodt.

Caffeine, a major energy enhancer, is also manufactured through photosynthesis in plants. It is commonly found in tea and coffee, but also (artificially added) in energy drinks. Because caffeine is a stimulant of the central nervous system and reduces fatigue and drowsiness, some people prefer decaffeinated coffee when enjoying this hot drink late at night. 

Removing caffeine from coffee could be expensive and time-consuming, but also environmentally unfriendly, because it involves the use of harmful and flammable liquids. Some of the Inorganic Group’s research focus areas include the use of carbon dioxide for the extraction of compounds, such as caffeine from plants. 

“Therefore, the research could lead to the availability of more decaffeinated coffee products. Although decaffeinated coffee is currently aromatic, we want to investigate further to ensure better quality flavours,” says Prof Roodt.

Another research aspect the team is focusing on is the use of carbon dioxide to extract chlorophyll from plants which have medicinal properties themselves. Chemical suppliers sell chlorophyll at R3 000 a gram. “In the process of investigating chlorophyll, our group discovered simpler techniques to comfortably extract larger quantities from green vegetables and other plants,” says Prof Roodt.

Medicines
In addition, the Inorganic Research Group is also looking to use carbon dioxide as a building block for more valuable compounds. Some of these compounds will be used in the Inorganic Group’s research focus on radiopharmaceutical products for the identification and possibly even the treatment of diseases such as certain cancers, tuberculosis, and malaria.

 

 

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