A trip to the Amazon has proved that the trajectory of climate change may lie in the hands of chartered accountants’ reporting of businesses.
David Attenborough and Bear Grylls had nothing on a pair of Wits accountancy professors as they took to the Rio Madeira, the Amazon’s largest and most important tributary on a month-long trek.
Wits University’s accountancy professors Kurt Sartorius (73) and Wayne van Zijl (33), along with Sartorius’s son, Benn Sartorius (44), headed for Brazil on July 1, 2022 and finished with great effort by July 26, touching back down on South African soil on July 29. The aim of their 1 100km canoe journey was to raise awareness about the business relevance of climate change among corporates and raise funding for high impact research and reforestation initiatives.
“As accountants, we are the storytellers of a business performance and position,” said Van Zijl. Usually, businesses that are not environmentally friendly have large profit margins, compared to those who are more environmentally conscious, he added. This is because of the additional costs.
If these costs are not reported, society judges only by the profit. This disincentivises environmentally sustainable behavior if companies cannot report holistically. Accountants can prevent climate change by developing holistic reporting technology which would single out environmentally friendly companies. Raising funding for this development was one of the aims of the trip.
The senior Sartorius’s journey was a 50-year reunion with Rio Madeira, and a way to highlight the changes that occurred over half a century, as he re-paddled his 1972 route. Benn Sartorius said this is not their first adventure, “he and I have done many other trips together to Peru and elsewhere [but this one] was special.” Van Zijl saw it as an opportunity to finally join his revered lecturer from his university days on one of his “infamous professor Kurt Indiana Jones Sartorius” excursions.
Wits professors Kurt Sartorius and Wayne van Zijl together with Benn Sartorius took a 1 100km trip down the Rio Madeira to try bring awareness and raise funds for climate change initiatives. Photo: Wayne van Zijl
The experience was indeed rewarding but also extremely “unpleasant” said Van Zijl. The younger Sartorius called the trip “brutal”. The team paddled through a tough terrain of low currents and extremely hot days, clocking between 50km to 60km daily through the two-kilometer-wide river.
When they were not on the water, they were on the muddy and insect infested land, where camp was set up by 6pm to avoid being attacked by mosquitos. Massive rainstorms, language barriers and scary characters along the river were all in a day’s work for this crew.
The trip was a collaborative initiative funded by Wits and the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants and formed part of Wits’s centenary campaign.
Professor Nirupa Padia, head of the school of accountancy told Wits Vuvuzela that, ”[The school] is extremely proud of this accomplishment by [its professors]. It is unheard of for accountants to be so adventurous and to go to this extent to make a difference on climate change and sustainability. It is inspiring for the staff and students to know that accountants too, can help save the planet.”
FEATURED IMAGE: Father and son have taken many trips together but this one was special. Van Zijl was ”amazed at the relationship”. Photos: Wayne van Zijl
A new career management portal was launched in Johannesburg today with the intention of matchmaking graduates with prospective employers.
The South African Institute of Chartered Accountants SAICA launched their new jobs portal in the hope that the platform will address the difficulties people experience in finding work and managing their careers in today’s tough economic circumstances. CEO Matsobane Matlwa says he hopes the facility will help bring qualified jobs seekers and businesses who seek skills together.
Career Suite is an online career and talent management platform for accounting and finance professionals and graduates. SAICA’s Chief Information Officer Rakesh Beekum explained that subscription to Career Suite is free, and open to all accounting, audit, tax and finance professionals participating in all levels of finance and business whether they are SAICA members or not.
Beekum explained “Once you’ve registered with a Career Suite profile, you will have access to a range of career development tools.” Graduates will be able to access articles and videos on managing their career, managing talent effectively and managing their performance. They will also be able to access mentors and coaches through the portal as well as conduct competency and psychometric assessments.
The portal offers graduates the opportunity to make the maximum impact on potential employers by not only being able to upload a detailed CV but also a photo and video. According to Beekum the portal will teach graduates how to sell themselves in 30 seconds. He said “We’ve also thought of making CV’s sexier with the formats and themes we’ve made available.”
The Career Suite portal will be available in mobile format with an application you can download on iPhone and Android operating smart phones. An application for BlackBerry is not yet available but according to Beekum SAICA this should be available sometime in the near future.
Former Auditor-General Terence Nombembe takes the chair at Wits Council, bringing a legacy of accountability to the university’s top governing structure.
Terence Nombembe, a key figure in South Africa’s fight against state capture, was appointed Chairperson of the Wits Council on 6 May 2026.
Nombembe has been a member of the Council since 2021, providing him with years of insight into the university’s complex financial and policy landscape.
SRC Deputy President Sibusiso Ngele expressed hope that Nombembe’s history with student leadership will lead to a positive future for the university.
The University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) has officially appointed former Auditor-General and Zondo Commission investigator Terence Nombembe as the Chairperson of the Wits Council. The move, announced on 6 May 2026, brings a world-renowned expert in accountability to the university’s highest governing body.
A legacy of oversight
Nombembe is no stranger to high-stakes governance. Before his election to the Chair this month, he served as a member of the Wits Council for five years, starting in 2021. His professional pedigree is rooted in transparency; he served as South Africa’s Auditor-General from 2006 to 2013 and later as the Head of Investigations for the Zondo Commission into State Capture.
Beyond his public office, Nombembe has held influential roles as the CEO of the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA) and served on the board of the WWF South Africa. His career has been defined by a zero-tolerance approach to financial mismanagement, a background that Sibusiso Ngele, Deputy President of the Wits SRC, considers a vital asset.
“He is very familiar with Wits’ proceedings and the Council in general,” Ngele said. “That background is very important for the institution’s future.”
While the appointment of an “integrity expert” carries significant weight, Ngele was careful to define the boundaries of the Council’s power. He noted that while the Council approves major policy, financial rules, and documentation, the day-to-day management of the university remains the responsibility of the Vice-Chancellor.
Ngele noted that Nombembe’s role is primarily one of oversight rather than executive action, emphasising that the entire Council structure, not just the Chair, is responsible for implementing the university’s approvals. “As much as he is [the] Chair, it’s not very executive decisions that he has [to make]; it’s the whole structure that’s responsible for that implementation,” Ngele explained.
Addressing sensitive issues
When asked if Nombembe’s history of holding institutions accountable would change how management interacts with student leadership on sensitive topics, such as campus infrastructure, Ngele admitted the answer is not simple.
“It would be very difficult to answer that question,” Ngele stated. However, he remained hopeful that Nombembe’s track record would lead to a more collaborative environment. “Given his history with the SRC, I think we can really hope for a great future ahead for Wits,” Ngele concluded.
Waiting for the full picture
At the time of publication, other top members of the SRC executive, including President Gilbert Nchabeleng and Treasurer General Sonwabo Mhlahlo, had not yet commented regarding their specific expectations for Nombembe’s term.
As Nombembe settles into the chair, the student body will be watching to see how his high-level expertise in accountability translates into the tangible student experience on the ground.
FEATURED IMAGE: Picture of the Great Hall at the University of Witwatersrand. Photo: Daniella Ripamonti
In Johannesburg, the status of a “world-class city” is measured by the hours, not just its economic output.
By 5am, Gauteng’s workforce is already in motion, streaming in from across the province towards the City of Gold that is Johannesburg. It is a daily mass pilgrimage made not just on the clean, rapid lines of the Gautrain, or the humming rows of traffic from the city’s suburbs but also on the crammed, frantic routes of taxi ranks and bus stops. It’s a real reflection of the country’s geographical challenges, and daily obligations of citizens earning their pay.
A morning sunrise in Rosebank Photo: Katlego Makhutle
This collective of largely hidden figures is the true pulse of Johannesburg, with millions of individual sacrifices made by those determined to “Dala what they must”, which means to do what you can in any situation – or to simply survive long enough to make their dreams come true. For the average South African citizen, the early alarm clock ringing at 6:24am isn’t a badge of honour branding them a ‘morning person’.
South Africa has been noted to have the world’s earliest risers. The reason behind this eye-opening average is brutally practical; many people get up early to plan for their daily commute to work. It is considered the norm for many citizens to get up as early as 4am, which is often to avoid the delays caused by bustling morning traffic.
Most South Africans rely on complex public transport routes, required to beat peak morning traffic or take lengthy walks across concrete pillars, so an exceptionally early start is the only way to conquer the long, arduous commutes from distant homes to city-based workspaces. The enduring legacy of Apartheid’s spatial planning has forced many Johannesburg workers into gruelling daily commutes to and from their jobs. Historically segregated townships remain distant from the central hubs of economic opportunity, which drastically impacts these workers’ hours and productivity. For some workers, it’s easier and more cost-efficient to stay in the Johannesburg region, in comparison to other parts of Gauteng.
Data visualization Photo: Katlego Makhutle
Vuka ma o lele!
Waking up at 6:24am is a necessity that underpins South Africa’s daily grind. The morning sunlight catches the dust motes on the windscreens of cars and taxis, as the masses travel toward the heart of the corporate hub, embodying a nearly spiritual commitment to the golden dream of a better life. The City of Johannesburg showcases an ambitious morning momentum that drives the engine of Africa’s biggest economic headquarters, where glass towers and tall buildings are symbols of the global economy reflected in Africa. These are the modern gold reefs of Johannesburg, representing the wealth and opportunity that draw talent from Pretoria and Soweto.
Kabelo Ramphele, a Chartered Accountant (CA) and Associate Director at KPMG, is not just measuring columns of figures; he is navigating the complex, high-stakes game of Johannesburg’s corporate environment. Raised in Soweto, his recent promotion was quickly followed by a life-defining milestone: signing his first official audit opinion. The gravity of this achievement is rooted in his journey, which was a demanding path that started with the challenge of earning a CA designation, which he recalls as the moment his “life completely changed.”
Ramphele stresses that the transition from student to entry-level employee to executive requires an aggressive shift in mindset, moving from self-directed studies to a defined accountability to corporate. “You need to go from, ‘I own my time’, to ‘my time is now paid for by someone else’,” he explains. For Ramphele, planning is the bedrock of his performance, noting the critical truth that “those who fail to plan, plan to fail.” His commitment to structure is evident even in his morning ritual: his alarm is set for 6:15am, though he admits he doesn’t fully wake up till 7am – with the very first order of business in the office being a cup of coffee.
“You’ve got to play the game…”
Ramphele views the workplace as a constantly evolving arena, a “game that you never knew existed.” Entering the corporate sector is not simply about conforming but mastering the art of observation. He advocates for authenticity as the ultimate tool for career longevity. “Authenticity will actually get you the furthest,” he asserts, reinforcing the need for difference to spark genuine change. For those who seek influence, he states the most important part of the game is “being at the table to play the game… I think the best leaders are observers. People who observe, they listen, they watch, then they act.”
Kabelo Ramphele, Chartered Accountant (CA) and Associate Director at KPMG Photo: Katlego Makhutle
Despite his focus on goal setting, Ramphele maintains a critical perspective on the relentless nature of the corporate grind. If he could change one thing about Johannesburg’s professional culture, it would be the pervasive “hustle mentality”, which he describes as a non-stop and non-productive action. He proposes that corporate burnout is merely a symptom of the same institutional inefficiency that the World Bank has cited as a primary impediment to South Africa’s desperately needed inclusive growth.
The World Bank recognises Johannesburg as the largest single metropolitan contributor to the national economy, holding around 16% of South Africa’s GDP and 40% of the GDP of Gauteng province. The estimated number of employed people sits at 2,06-million. The City of Johannesburg Annual Economic Review (2025) reports that the non-agricultural formal employment in Johannesburg makes up 1,69-million, out of the 10 million employees in South Africa. It is estimated that approximately 81.7% of Johannesburg’s labour market is in involved in formal employment.
While balancing the pressures of a demanding career with becoming a new father, Ramphele sees his primary professional role as driving change within a city that is increasingly “Africanised” by diverse, ambitious talent migrating from across the continent. He notes that the constant pressure to “go, go, go” often sacrifices the things that truly matter such as family, friends, and personal well-being. Reflecting on his own happiness, he finds a stark contrast between his disciplined adult life and the simple, unrestricted joy of his childhood, concluding that the pursuit of professional goals “doesn’t exude happiness.” Ramphele says that people seeking to enter the city’s corporate world must answer the call for balance, where success must be sustained-not just chased.
Infographic Photo: Katlego Makhutle
Don’t lose yourself under the city’s bright lights
Ayanda Tshabalala’s journey into the corporate world provides a sharp, contemporary portrait of a young female professional determined to succeed on her own terms. A manager of professional practice for Audit and Assurance at KPMG, her story is one of autonomy and the unyielding belief that corporate achievement should not come at the expense of personal peace or communal warmth. While Ramphele is focused on sitting at the table to play the game, Tshabalala is focused on maintaining her personal autonomy in the game that threatens to extinguish it.
Tshabalala admits that the transition from student to professional was “hard”, primarily because of the intense human friction she encountered as a CA, citing “micromanagers, who kind of makes you feel like they don’t trust you.” This initial struggle cemented her focus: her career would be defined by a fight for control over her personal space and time. For Tshabalala, maintaining that flexibility is non-negotiable because it is the critical factor that allows “a work-life balance as well.”
Her ambition is evidently not for status alone; her greatest achievement, she says, was “exceeding expectations” at work while simultaneously guarding her personal time. This priority on balance is informed by a global perspective she gained on her travels abroad. She contrasts her experience in London, whose culture she describes as “very rigid” and its people “very cold,” with her home city, where she notes that the social climate “is much warmer.” For a driven young woman in corporate, the culture must be balanced by the social connection and warmth that she often feels in Johannesburg.
Evolve or atrophy
Tshabalala’s perspective highlights a subtle distrust of traditional leadership, where she feels that the people who uphold dated corporate standards “don’t always think about the future.” Tshabalala’s narrative ultimately offers a model of success built not on playing a game, but on aiming to create an environment where authenticity and humanity can genuinely thrive alongside traditional models of success. Unlike looking up at the executive floor for change, Tshabalala places her faith in the influences from the ground up, believing that the true drivers of change are “the service staff and the young people.”
The person clocking into their shift at 6am to guard the main gates or the worker arriving to sterilise the executive floors, all who have travelled this journey still feel Apartheid’s legacy whilst navigating commutes that stretch into the hour-and-a-half range each way. They are essential to the city’s early morning buzz, part of the underpaid motion that provides the foundations for the city’s high-speed profits, a living, breathing reflection of South Africa’s persistently high Gini coefficient. So, the city presents itself not as a perfect metropolitan narrative, but in a dazzling yet deeply scarred duality.
One side offers the promise of prosperity, a place where fortunes are made and global capital flows freely. The other is a relentless struggle for dignity; a world where the proximity to wealth only amplifies its absence amongst the majority. My inquiry into the corporate world begins not just in the executive suite, but also at the perimeter, with the one figure whose vantage point sits on the fence of both realities: the security guard. Lindani Nkanini is the warm, uniformed witness to the systemic forces that elevate one’s life into a jet-setting career while others crash under the pressures of “making it”.
Keeping himself firmly rooted in the soil of his humble beginnings in KwaZulu-Natal, Nkanini’s story presents a view that asks the ultimate yet painful question: If Johannesburg is a world-class city, then who exactly can consider this city as ‘world-class’?
“Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu!”
Born in Jozini, under uMhlabuyalingana District Municipality, Nkanini came to Johannesburg in 2015 to escape what he describes as “poor background” and to support his family. After working in an underpaying job at a furniture factory, he decided to pursue security services. In our conversations, I was struck by the delight that he is passionate about safety and law enforcement – not just in his work. Nearly nine years later, Nkanini went from a position as an ATM security guard at Rosebank Mall to being an internal security escort at KPMG, one of the “Big Four” firms that also includes Ernst and Young, PwC and Deloitte.
On a regular workday, he works a 12-hour straight shift from 6am to 6pm. Nkanini wakes up at 4am to get ready and leaves his flat in Maboneng at 5:10am, noting that he often arrives right before 6am. Nkanini states that the start of his career did not go as planned but he still aims to see progress in his life. “So, since things are actually not going well, I decided to just do something that can at least keep my dream, maybe one day be prosperous, but unfortunately, I’m still stuck with security, but one day I just hope things will happen,” he states.
Nkanini has always kept his dream of being a teacher alive, sharing a wide smile when discussing his desire to still pursue it. He states that his hardest challenge has been managing people and engaging with different personalities despite his rural upbringing. He describes it as limited due to the lack of knowledge shared about different career paths and the lack of racial diversity that surrounded him.
Data Visualization Photo: Katlego Makhutle
A first-hand witness of the hard work and long hours corporate employees go through, Nkanini expresses sympathy for the sacrifices they make to grow and earn a living in Johannesburg. He often sees workers come early and leave late, expressing his intent to always show a friendly face and provide them comfort. This comfort often comes in the form of a conversation and the reassurance of their safety, as he often observes people working late hours to meet deadlines, or young graduates making their mark in a new work environment.
Describing himself as a humble yet stubborn Zulu man, Nkanini is often seen around the offices with a friendly smile, greeting people warmly as he goes about his daily responsibilities. He highlights that he enjoys making employees feel safe and that respect is a quality that is innately within him. From his experience in retail and corporate Johannesburg, he feels that he has had a lot of growth and has managed to adapt well to the city’s dynamic environment.
Asking whether Johannesburg is a world-class city is perhaps the wrong question. It implies a single, universal standard that the City of Gold was never designed to meet. Under the weight of opportunity, the price of progress is often paid in resilience. The early bird gets the worm and Joburg doesn’t just run on municipal services alone; it thrives on the relentless and personal commitment of its employed citizens. It is a city that doesn’t just promise opportunity; it demands you fight for it. It is not a matter of whether Johannesburg is world-class, but whether any other world-class city can boast of having an African heart, that is ambitious and unapologetically alive from sunrise to sunset.
FEATURED IMAGE: GIF of Johannesburg city during sunrise, with camera and nob on orange background. GIF: Katlego Makhutle
The racial and gender disparities in corporate South Africa still embody Apartheid stereotypes for some black female professionals.
Wits University students and Chartered Accountants gathered to discuss existing in Corporate SA as a black woman.
The event highlighted the racial and gender disparity black women still face in the private sector.
The event encouraged mentorship, and preparation as black young women continue to break barriers.
The stark reality of gender inequality 69 years after the Women’s Day march paints a daunting image of black women’s progression in society, according to the experiences of the black female executives speaking at the She Means Business event held at Chris Seabrooke Musical Hall on Saturday, August 1.
The Women’s Day event, held by the Wits chapter of the African Women Chartered Accountants, in partnership with the Wits Accounting School Council, aimed to address how to exist as a woman of colour in corporate spaces.
Personal testimonies of black female heads of departments, including PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) and Chapu Charted Accountants brought the event to life, addressing the resilience black women working in corporate require, particularly aspiring chartered accountants, to produce quality work in pressure-driven environments.
The evening featured a series of compelling addresses from Learning Development Manager at PWC, Lesego Rankou, Chapu CA CEO, Ncumisa Mkunqwana, former NYDA CFO Khuthadzo Manana, the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) Cluster Head, Portia Mkhabela, and Investec CA Trainee Sanelisiwe Sibiya.
Lesego Rankou opened the evening with a powerful phrase that gave hope of light at the end of the tunnel for black women existing in corporate SA. “There is no corporate ladder, it is a jungle gym. This is because there are so many layers to corporate that are yet to be explored,” said Rankou.
The She Means Business event also featured insightful contributions from the panellists about the importance of preparation and the production of quality work, as means to continue to dispel the myths about black women in society being carried through in the workspace.
She Means Business Panelist: Sanelisiwe Sibiya, Khuthadzo Manana, Portia Mkhabela, and Ncumisa Mkunqwana Photo: Supplied/Ndivho Shilling
Rankou shared that being an assertive black woman in corporate South Africa is often misunderstood as aggression. “The reality is corporate did not have people who look like me and you in mind in its infant stages, so often we have to constantly break barriers,” shared Rankou.
This means that often black women existing in these spaces are torn between showing up as the truest version of themselves, or shrinking their personalities to be more likeable to non-African men and women in these spaces.
“Women like me who are more extroverted are referred to as “abantu abaphaphayo” (people who are forward), when existing in these spaces,” shared former NYDA CFO Khuthadzo Manana.
Manana also shared that it is important to show up as your authentic self in the context of the space you exist in. She referred to how one cannot show up as rude and disrespectful at work and claim authenticity in that context. Manana added that this is because such claims often further stereotype black women as aggressors.
The evening ended with the panellists sharing the importance of emotional resilience in spaces like Corporate SA, where there are systemic barriers that make it harder for women of colour to authentically exist. The panellists then rounded up the attendees across the room for prayer, emphasising spiritual resilience as a crucial factor to navigating and breaking through these barriers.
*CORRECTION: Article updated on August 7 to correct a typing error of Chapu SA to Chapu CA; blurb shortened and generalised.
FEATURED IMAGE: She Means Business panellists banner including: Lesego Rankou, Khuthadzo Manana, Portia Mkhabela, Sanelisiwe Sibiya, and Ncumisa Mkunqwana. Photo: Supplied/Ndivho Shilling
How do bookshops on Wits campus compare as they aim to fulfil student’s academic needs whilst keeping prices affordable?
Buying textbooks can be a stressful exercise for most students; as most of these books do not come cheap. But what is the role of bookstores when it comes to the final price tag? Wits Vuvuzela investigated by speaking to two main bookshops on campus to find out how they set up their prices.
I.H. Pentz Campus Bookshop, situated just outside of the Matrix, was founded in 1992 on Wits campus and operates as a sole proprietor. Van Schaik Bookstore meanwhile can be found at the heart of the Matrix. The original Van Schaik Bookstore was founded in 1914 in Pretoria, and currently operates as a private company.
Van Schaik has been owned by “a syndicate of private equity investors and a pension fund” since 2013. This Wits branch is one of 70 retail stores owned by Van Schaik across Southern Africa. I.H. Pentz, on the other hand, receives no outside funding and is therefore dependent on the business it generates on Wits campus.
When asked how they set up their prices, I.H. Pentz spokesperson said they look at public retail prices to determine their own. He said the business aims to supply students with a “specialised” service and attempt to “cater for everything”, from prescribed books to more obscure research and leisure reading titles.
I.H. Pentz carries 15 000 individual titles as part of its “curated collection”, and even holds books that they are aware “don’t justify shelf space” to provide students with as much variety as possible. They also deal with new, as well as second-hand books as a budget-friendly alternative.
On the other hand, manager of the Van Schaik Wits branch, Mmabosigo Makolomakwa said that they only deal with “brand new books”. The titles and the price they carry are determined by the Van Schaik head office and attempt to streamline student’s acquisition of prescribed books.
In 2019, the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) abandoned their awarding of book vouchers as it found that students would trade these vouchers for cash. They dealt with the issue by giving students with a book allowance. Currently the allocation stands at R5 460 per annum. However, since NSFAS started giving students cash directly, I.H. Pentz said their “textbook sales have gone down”.
Figure 1: A comparative graph displaying how the NSFAS learning materials allowance has increased, versus the South African inflation rate as determined by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) from 2019 to 2024.
Meanwhile, Makolomakwa believes that the allowance is too low and makes students “opt for second-hand” books over more “expensive” new titles. Makolomakwa added that if you are an accounting student, there is a chance “you’re not going to get all your books”.
Depending on the type of subjects an accounting student decides to study, if they opt for brand new books, they could roughly be putting themselves in an R8 000 hole. This trumps the R5 460 learning materials allowance provided by NSFAS – and necessitates the purchasing of second-hand titles.
In some cases, however, buying second-hand titles may not be an option if new versions of textbooks are released every year. For example, if a student is doing tax accounting, they require South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA) Student Handbook packs that release new versions of textbooks every year.
Figure 2: A tabulated representation of the prices of the annually released SAICA Student Handbook: Volume 2 on online retailers Loot.co.za and Lexisnexis.co.za.
I.H. Pentz, on the other hand, believes that the allowance is “fair” because of the second-hand option they provide. For example, a brand-new copy of Biology: A Global Approach, Global Edition sells for R1 440 at I.H. Pentz, whilst you can buy it for R400 second-hand. The shop also regularly runs sales on second-hand books that can be bought for anywhere between R40 and R100.
Second-hand books on sale outside of I.H. Pentz for discounted prices. Photo: Tristan Monzeglio
Although Van Schaik Wits branch’s prices are dictated by their head office, Makolomakwa says she always listens to feedback from students and compares prices of online retailers like Takealot to make price their prices competitive.
Online retailers like Loot and Takealot appear to have cheaper textbook options than I.H. Pentz and Van Schaik for more widely accessible textbooks, but these initial prices do not account for delivery fees – and more obscure textbooks can be almost double the price.
Figure 3: Groupings of bar charts that comparing the prices of specific textbooks from different retailers: I.H. Pentz Campus Bookshop, Van Schaik Bookstore, Takealot.com and Loot.co.za.
The prices of textbooks vary heavily across retailers; and there is no clear winner when it comes to the affordability of new textbooks. However, because I.H. Pentz sells second-hand books, they have the upper hand on Van Schaik when it comes to providing students with cheaper options.
FEATURED IMAGE: I.H. Pentz Campus Bookshop and Van Schaik Bookstore on Wits Campus. Photo: Tristan Monzeglio
Mismanagement, failures in meeting requirements and delays in paying student allowances are some of the reasons leading to the dissolution of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme.
Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Professor Blade Nzimande has blamed the outgoing National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) board for not fulfilling their administrative duties, and students failing as a result.
In a media briefing held on Sunday, April 14, Nzimande addressed the recurring problem of non-payment and student allowances that have been plaguing NSFAS. The minister responded to this by dissolving the board on April 11, 2024.
Nzimande said the outgoing NSFAS board were unable to uphold basic responsibilities, with some of these shortcomings being the “consistent inability to oversee payment of student allowances timeously,” and the scheme’s failure to respond to student queries timeously.
The outgoing board was also unable to meet the Werksman Report requirements. One of the key requirements was to terminate the contracts of four of the service providers as these tenders were handed irregularly.
Now the scheme has a new administrator, Sithembiso Freeman Nomvalo. He is the former CEO of the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants and has 25 years of experience under his belt, 17 split between the private and public sector. Nomvalo has also been credited for possessing “extensive knowledge and (an) impeccable track record in public finance and government processes”.
First on the agenda for Nomvalo is taking over the governance, management, and administration of NSFAS for a period of one year, which is subject to a renewal of a further 12 months depending on the progress that is made.
The new administrator will also be required to “finalize all the necessary financial decisions and outstanding payments especially those relating to student accommodation”.
Joseph Baloyi, a first-year BA Law student at Wits University and a NSFAS beneficiary does not believe that the change will have any positive effect.
He claims that he has been experiencing delays in receiving his allowances throughout the year and that private banks are the reason for the delays. He believes that the solution is for the Minister to “remove the private banks, then pay the school so that the school can pay us.”
At the briefing, Chief Operation Officer at NSFAS, Errol Makhubela, confirmed that “NSFAS has granted an extension to all universities to continue to disperse allowances to students from April to July 2024”.
The scheme advanced an upfront payment to distribute the student allowances which will commence on Monday, 15 April 2024. Makhubela said the advanced upfront payment, which covers book allowances, food allowances and travel allowances will be paid for by the institutions.
FEATURED IMAGE: A student filling in paperwork for funding. Photo: File.
Wits accounting students pass with flying colours at the first annual chartered accountancy qualifying exams.
Graduates of the Wits School of Accountancy, who sat for the January 2023 Initial Test of Competency (ITC) exam achieved a 97% pass towards being chartered accountants.
Of the 3 021 candidates who sat for the exam, the Wits School of Accountancy was represented by 248 candidates and a whopping 240 of them passed.
The ITC is the first of two qualifying exams for the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (Saica) – a regulatory body for all chartered accountants in the country. The second qualifying exam is the Assessment of Professional Competence (APC), candidates must pass the ITC before qualifying for the APC.
Although Wits came fourth behind the University of Pretoria (first), North-West University (second), and the University of Stellenbosch (third), the school managed to produce the second highest pass by full time African students at 96%.
In addition, Muhammad Sharaafat Moosajee, Lenn Maja and Riyadh Lakhi from stood out with Honour’s passes – a total mark 75% or more -in the exam. With Moosajee coming joint fifth in the overall candidate’s results rankings.
The head of the school, professor Nirupa Padia (60) told Wits Vuvuzela, “when I started as head [in 2013], [Wits’ pass in the ITC] had been about upper 80s, lower 90s. It wasn’t this high, and it didn’t have [this many] transformation [African] students.” She attributed the stellar results to the school’s teaching approach in the second semester of last year, where they managed to get students back on campus.
An information graphic from the Wits school of accountancy found inside FNB Commerce Building on West Campus, tracking the school’s progress since Professor Nirupa Padia’s appointments as head in 2013 until last year in 2022. Photo: Otsile Swaratlhe
Lenn Maja (22) who is currently an academic trainee at the school, said that he had mixed feelings when the results came out. “I could not be excited because I had to focus on my master’s [degree in commerce],” he said. However, he added that the pass came as no surprise to him, “the moment I got my results for postgraduate diploma, I knew I was ready.”
He attested to Wits’ participation in his preparation and said that they showed him and his 2022 group great support. “Consultations, tutorials and ITC past paper were all provided by the school,” he said. Maja was full of praises for the school as he closed off by saying, “When Wits says you are ready to wite ITC, you are ready to write ITC”.
ITC exams are written twice a year, in January and in June. With Wits having performed this well in January, we are all looking forward to seeing their performance in the June exams.
FEATURED IMAGE: A third-year Wits school of accountancy student compiling their lecture notes, shortly after collecting them from the school. Photo: Otsile Swaratlhe
As the world creeps closer to climate crisis D-day, will a moo-ve to a plant-based diet really make a difference?
Old MacDonald had a farm, Ee i ee i oh… And on his farm he had some cows, Ee i ee i oh. With drastic effects on land here, and drastic effects on air there… Here some CO2, there some methane too, everywhere a moo-moo. Old MacDonald had a farm, Ee i ee i oooh.
Nursery rhymes, they say, have hidden meanings. They are a form of satire; folk songs used to tell, subversively, tales of historical events and the (often) bad people who brought them on. Are these going to be the songs we share with the children of our questionable future? The truth is, no run-on line or rhyming couplet will ever be able to depict the devastation we see today in the throes of climate change
There can be no denying that planet earth is on fire. Eye-witness accounts of the devastation caused by the crisis are becoming more numerous by the day. Floods, cyclones, tornadoes, extreme weather patterns, famine, drought and increasing species extinction are all in evidence. In 2022 we are living in what climate scientists decades ago painted as a worst-case scenario.
To the average person, assuming responsibility in tackling the issue can be overwhelming. Something every individual on the planet shares is the need for food. What people are consuming, however, has and will continue to have a disastrous effect. It is here the solution may lie. If every individual can take responsibility for their eating habits and switch to a more climate-friendly diet, a real difference might be viable.
“I do not think the answer is in getting the big guys to change. People need to stop being passive consumers,” says food systems researcher and business strategist Michele Sohn. Therefore one must ask: ”To eat the cow, or not to eat the cow?”
Why the cow? For Old MacDonald, back in pre-industrial days, cattle and other livestock used for food may not have been the biggest issue, but in the 21st century they seem to be a leading cause of climate change. A 2009 study by Scientific American concluded: “Worldwide meat production (beef, chicken and pork) emits more atmospheric greenhouse gases than do all forms of global transportation or industrial processes.” A study published in 2013 in the South African Journal of Animal Science said, “Cattle are a major source of methane emissions from the livestock sector in South Africa, contributing approximately 72.6% of the total livestock greenhouse gas emissions.”
The livestock greenhouse effect occurs in two ways. The first is in their feed, which requires year-round cultivation of land. This means trees and grasses that absorb carbon dioxide (CO2) are not given a chance to be grown. The second is the methane released by the animals in their waste and as they digest their food.
The more humans consume these animals and their products, the greater the demand to raise and farm them, which leads to higher need for land. In a 2018 study by Joseph Poore and Thomas Nemecek, an estimation of emission per serving of different foods was made, and the results were staggering. Beef has the biggest carbon footprint, while non-animal products such as beans and nuts seem to have little to no emission.
conducted a two-week experiment that tracked emissions from vegans, vegetarians and omnivores. The results revealed that: vegan CO2e emissions per week were 9.9kg (equivalent to 39.6km driven in a petrol-powered car, or 1 204 smartphones charged); vegetarian CO2e emissions per week were 16.9kg (67.4km driven in a petrol-powered car, or 2 056 smartphones charged); and omnivore CO2e emissions per week were 48.9kg (194.7km driven in a petrol-powered car, or 5 948 smartphones charged).
Software developer and vegan Hanno Brink told Wits Vuvuzela, “I always used to think vegans were people who ‘cannot face the real world’, but I now realise I was the one not facing the brutal reality of the consequences of my actions.”
It seems this food choice is attached to a lot more than some animal-loving form of protest. The diet holds real benefits environmentally, financially and nutritionally, but how viable is it in South Africa?
There has been a rise in vegan culture in South Africa over the past few years and plant-based brands are pulling in significant numbers in the South African market. South Africa is one of the top 30 countries where veganism is most popular, according to Google trends. According to Uber Eats, the country is fifth largest in the world in vegan takeaway orders.
A 2021 study conducted in the journal of Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systemsfound the likelihood of consumers in South Africa adopting plant-based and cultivated meat as a pathway to a healthy, sustainable and equitable food supply was quite high. Sixty percent of born-frees, 62% of millennials and 53% of Gen X were highly likely to purchase plant-based meat. Fifty-five percent of born-frees, 55% of millennials and 46% of Gen X were highly likely to purchase cultivated meat. The study concluded, “Both plant-based and cultivated meat could be viable market-based options for improving the food system in South Africa.”
From an economic perspective, being vegan is not so straight-forward. In South Africa food security is a daunting issue. According to a 2020 report by Stats SA, nearly 23,6% of South Africans had moderate to severe food insecurity, while almost 14,9% experienced severe food insecurity. Jessica Lazar, a registered dietitian at The Green Dietitian, told Wits Vuvuzela, “If someone is food insecure and they are vulnerable to malnutrition, they do not have a choice over what they eat; they can only eat what is available and affordable to them. We need to work to combat food security and malnutrition before we can have the privilege to decide what type of diet we want to live by, because it really is a privilege.”
Veganism has been through a bit of a greenwash over the past few decades. What was initially a clean and relatively cheap lifestyle turned into “a trend that companies and brands jumped on and used as a marketing tool”. Lazar says a lot of products are expensive, but a basic vegan diet made up of grains, fruits, vegetables and oils is not expensive; it is actually cheaper than animal products.
“I always used to think vegans were people who ‘cannot face the real world’, but I now realise I was the one not facing the brutal reality of the consequences of my actions.”
Nutrition-wise, Lazar says veganism can be a helpful diet meeting all nutritional needs. “I do not think it’s valid to say veganism is the healthiest or is healthier than any other diet patterns, but it is among the healthiest,” she says. “Cutting down animal products and replacing them with more plant food is a healthy way to live.”
Dalya Gerson, also a registered dietitian, disagrees. “You are not really living a healthy lifestyle being a vegan because you are losing out on the key nutrients (specifically B12, which can be found only in animal products, fortified foods and supplements) that you should be getting,” Gerson says. ”I would not necessarily say a vegan diet is healthier than a Mediterranean diet.”
Arabella Parkinson, who has a master’s in sustainable development and is a food consultant and vegan chef, told Wits Vuvuzela, “I am not an advocate of a fully vegan diet, because a lot of the time people tend to sacrifice the healthier side of things because veganism is so strict, people tend to eat junk food based on the fact that its vegan rather than it being healthy. It is a very strict way of eating, and to do it properly you need a lot of time, energy resources and access to a variety of healthy, good food.”
Most of the people Wits Vuvuzela spoke to mentioned culture as a point of contention. Food is an emotional aspect of people’s lives and it is often difficult for people to change the way they eat, especially when it is embedded in indigenous cultures, says Parkinson. Lazar adds, “We need to respect culture specifically around food. Usually meats are used for celebrations, not daily consumption. A solution could be if we say, ‘change your daily diets and leave the meat for the bigger events’.” She notes, however, that a plant-based diet is nothing new to many Africans, who for centuries have been living off fruit- and vegetable-bearing lands.
From an agricultural perspective, Heinz Meissner, an adviser to the dairy and meat industries, told Mail & Guardian in a 2019 article that South Africa is complex when it comes to production of fruit and vegetables. “Just 12% of the country has the right mixture of soil and water to grow crops, whereas livestock can live on marginal land,” he says. A lot of water is mostly used for high-value crops such as grapes, citrus, avocados, nuts and blueberries, and these are usually exported overseas. Meissner says the resources needed for optimal crop growth that would suit veganism throughout the country ”will not be used for grains, vegetables and fruit production to feed the population”.
The department of agriculture also seems to side with the meat. In June 2022 it threatened the vegan industry with a ban and seizure of all foodstuffs not in line with Agricultural Product Standards Act regulations. This includes that if it is not processed meat in a packet, it cannot be labelled as such. This caused a stir, as renaming products would have been economically crippling to producers, Daily Maverick reported.
South Africa’s relationship with the meat industry is very complicated, says Parkinson. “The meat and dairy industries are huge and subsidised and have a lot of bargaining power,” she says. In a 2022 op-ed for Daily Maverick, Jason Bell, a researcher at the Centre for Competition Regulation and Economic Development, says, “The market power that [the meat and dairy] industries possess was facilitated and has continued to be supported by government subsidies, protection and support to ensure that these industries survive competition and shocks.” He adds that the vegan industry’s growth threatens the meat and dairy industries’ market power; thus, regulations such as that mentioned above were implemented.
Parkinson tells Wits Vuvuzela it is about planting and producing fruit, vegetables and grains that are seasonal and indigenous to the country. She says plants such as sorghum and beans, which are superfoods, are highly nutritious, resilient to terrain and climate, affordable to grow and buy and do well with little water.
To make a change we must learn to eat the rainbow. We don’t need to buy expensive fruits and vegetables, even growing your own garden can make a massive difference. Photo: Elishevah Bome
Sohn says if government and farming corporations do not come to the party, the South African public can and must take it into their own hands: “It’s about consumers becoming producers. Everyone should grow something, either in their own backyard or in a community garden.” According to Stats SA, fewer than 20% of households were involved in agricultural production of food between 2017 and 2020. Sohn further says, “We need more urban farmers to grow organic food close to where people live, and to buy from small local farmers.”
Parkinson and Sohn bring up regenerative growing practices. “If the farming sectors could shift the way they produce the meat to [these] farming techniques, they can also have a positive impact on reducing the effects of climate change,” says Parkinson, adding that the meat and dairy farming industries will not just disappear. With regenerative farming, animals graze in rotation and help pull carbon back into soil. This strengthens resilience against climate change, droughts and floods. By doing so, meat will be produced in a better way.
So to the question of ”to eat the cow or to not eat the cow”, it can be derived from the people Wits Vuvuzela consulted that there is no clear answer. What is clear, however, is that climate change is exacerbated by the meat and dairy industries. Lazar says, “At the end of the day we cannot get everyone to be vegan, but if one million people cut down on meat it will make more impact than if a couple of hundred thousand go fully vegan.”
Parkinson echoes this, saying that two to three percent of South Africans are vegan and the global trends of meat consumption are growing only in lower-income countries. ”I believe we do not need everyone to be vegan, but we do need people to eat less meat,’’ she says. She encourages campaigns such as Meat Free Monday and Sustainable Sunday.
Sohn says, ”The trick is not to be too purist about it; to eat beyond labels. Eat more veg, more fruit, less chemicals, less preservatives and, if possible, less meat.’’
Old MacDonald had a farm, Ee i ee i oh. And on his farm he had some cows, Ee i ee i oh. With some moderation here and a meat-free Monday there, here some fruit, there some veg, now a controlled moo-moo… Old MacDonald may still have a farm in 2030, Ee i ee i oh.
FEATURED IMAGE: The growth of the vegan industry in South Africa may be a solution to the climate crisis, but is cutting out the cow the remedy? Photo: Elishevah Bome
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Since her announcement as the Democratic Alliance’s mayoral candidate for Johannesburg, Helen Zille has dominated national headlines. In this bonus episode of We Should Be Writing podcast, hosts Lulah Mapiye and Bonolo Mokonoto dissect a media meet-and-greet with the mayoral hopeful. From her extensive political résumé to her controversial public utterance, we examine why the Democratic Alliance has chosen Hellen Zille as their candidate for the 2027 local mayoral elections. Additionally, […]
