Have you heard the statement "We cant find these skills!"?

Tsakani Maluleke, Auditor-General of South Africa

Tsakani Maluleke is the first woman to be appointed Auditor-General of South Africa (AGSA), where she leads the programme that promotes Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) that has yielded successful outcomes with measurable results, and has contributed towards increasing the numbers of qualified Black and women accountants in the country. As chairperson of the Chartered Accountants Charter Council, she has led the first Broad-based Economic Empowerment (BEE) charter, which implemented initiatives that improved access for Black people to enter the profession. By mentoring and sponsoring candidates, organisations that form part of the Council contribute to the development of the country in a practical way.

As at March 2023, the AGSA had 823 trainee accountants, with 504 being female, 771 being African and 471 being African Females. A notable success story is how the organisation has qualified over 500 Chartered Accountants in the two years that Maluleke has been at the helm of this national Chapter 9 institution (Chapter Nine Institutions refer to a group of organisations established in terms of Chapter 9 of the South African Constitution to guard democracy) which is a significant increase from previous years. As a leader who believes that no path should be closed to marginalised young Black youth from township areas, Maluleke has inspired others to pursue their dreams through her own career journey. From her first job as a cashier in her family’s supermarket business, it is maybe not surprising that Maluleke found herself working in accounting, despite initially planning to be a lawyer like her father, who went on to become a judge of the High Court.

Becoming South Africa’s Auditor-in-Chief is a powerful example for girls and young women. While there are many stories of successful women around the world, the homegrown effect is powerful for role modelling. There is a difference between reading stories about successful women from the Global North, and seeing someone who looks like you and grew up in the same conditions as you to accomplish what was once perceived to be impossible.  Maluleke completed the national board exams and topped these with an accredited qualification to become a Chartered Accountant (CA(SA)).

While the shortage of skills is a real challenge largely due to the structural and systemic inequalities of the South African Apartheid system, it has become an excuse to overlook the role that organisations can play in developing skills. Maluleke believes that by supporting educational institutions with curriculum design, offering bursaries to indigent students, and creating space for trainees, organisations can play an important role in building the required skills. She took over leadership of the AGSA’s office after having served six years as deputy to the late Kimi Makwetu. Maluleke boasts a varied and expansive experience in the corporate arena, having served, amongst others, as Director of Aberdare Cables, the Public Investments Corporation, Independent Regulatory Board for Auditors, the Financial Services Ombudsman, and the Seta for the finance, accounting, management consulting and other financial services sector, which she chaired.

Maluleke has said that it is now time to “activate the accountability ecosystem to shift the culture in local government towards performance, integrity, transparency and accountability.  This can be achieved through courageous, ethical, accountable, capable, and citizen-centric leadership.” In her role as the AGSA, she has displayed her leadership and commitment to transformation and intends to continue leading the organisation forward.

My take away lessons from Tsakani’s leadership

1. When things are difficult, keep focus and hold on to the guard rails of what is most familiar and press on.

2. Combining confidence and humility is often a difficult balance, yet Tsakani manages that with ease. Being the first woman to hold this position in the supreme audit institution’s 109 year history does not faze her. She always makes it a point to acknowledge the ground work done by her predecessors.

3. Commitment to real, meaningful contribution to DEI is an important pillar of her leadership philosophy. Her passion for development is demonstrated in AGSA’s training scheme which is the largest to be accredited by SAICA( South African Institute of Accountants) and allows for graduates to train towards their CA qualification.

4. Show tangible results; Rather than argue in public platforms about professionals from disadvantaged groups being in short supply in accounting, she simply leads the way by providing real numbers of trained professionals.

5. Her commitment to DEI work goes beyond the AGSA. She sees the challenge of education, employment and economic advancement in South Africa as an important tool in achieving her mission of making a contribution to society.