Dear Subscriber,

As I write this message to you I am a bag of mixed emotions. That feeling you get as you near the end of a marathon, exhausted from the distance you have covered but excited by the vision of the finish line ahead of you. The final push for the year is upon us as we prepare for our National Annual Convention and Flagship Event, closing off an amazing year.

Before I get into what to look forward to this month let me start by reflecting on the month that was.

This month we look at the second last word of our national theme, Driving Leadership Excellence Through Inclusive Social Accountability : Social

The words that come to mind as shared with our national leadership at our national leadership induction in April this year are:

In the words of former Minister of Finance, Trevor Manuel, "ABASA has a moral authority in this country and we must be the B in ABASA". As I read the key words above I am reminded of this challenge to ABASA and the responsibility that comes with the social mandate of this organization. The responsibility to stand up for what others may not have the courage to stand up for. To be conscious of who we are and the role we play in South Africa.

"We" means all of us as an aligned and focused collective because it is only in unity and collaboration that we drive meaningful impact for the greater good of our country.

On the 17th of September 2022 ABASA hosted its Second Annual Women Leading Conference at the PriceWaterhousCoopers (PWC) offices in Waterfall, Johannesburg. This extraordinary gathering of women in the accounting and auditing sector was hosted in proud partnership with the Financial and Accounting Services Sector Education and Training (FASSET).

With three powerful panel discussions this conference continued to highlight the need for all of us, men and women, to rally together as we embark on Building Women's Economic Empowerment and Inclusion to Drive Excellence.

This event was addressed by South Africa's 2021 CFO of the Year and AGSA Head of National Audit, Bongi Ngoma who eloquently drove an impactful message of the journey from success to significance. 

The conference also awarded CEO of PWC Southern Africa, Shirley Machaba the ABASA Women Leading 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award for her tremendous leadership impact in gender transformation both within and outside PWC. Shirley Machaba is the second recipient of this prestigious recognition award following the founding president of women of ABASA, Tantaswa Fubu who was also in attendance.

The following recognition awards were presented at the conference:

 

Congratulations to all our award winners and we look forward to seeing continue the amazing work and lift other women as you rise.

Thank you to all our speakers and sponsors and stakeholders for your support as we continue to ensure that women are no longer a footnote at the bottom of the chapter in our organization and in our country.

I would like to also extend a huge congratulations to the Women of ABASA National Committee on a job well done and for all the hard work behind the scenes in ensuring the execution of a stunning event fit for the amazing women of ABASA we serve.

Click on the links below to access the recording, photo gallery and media interviews:

We are officially 27 days away from our Annual Flagship Event and the support that continues to come in from our members, MOU partners and stakeholders is absolutely overwhelming.

I would like to make special mention of our confirmed Headline and Premium sponsors to date:

Auditor General of South Africa (AGSA) - Headline Partner

Old Mutual Limited - Headline Sponsor

SAPRO - Headline Sponsor

ABSA Bank Limited - Premium Sponsor

You can still partner with us by contacting events@abasa.org.za for more information on convention sponsorship packages and the impact work that is linked to the convention initiatives .

Click on the link below to view the full list of sponsors, convention details and to nominate for the recognition awards. 

Click on the link below to view Annual General Meeting (AGM) notice and register for the AGM.

I look forward to seeing you all later this month in Cape Town as we take stock of the past 10 months and prepare for the next steps as we continue Driving Leadership Excellence Through Inclusive Social Accountability.

In the spirit of Mental Health Awareness Month, keep safe and be kind to yourselves and others.