SAICA TOP 35-UNDER-35 WINNING UJ ALUMNUS A RARE GEM WHO DEMONSTRATES VISIONARY LEADERSHIP
“THERE IS A CONSTANT NEED FOR DIPLOMACY IN DEALING WITH DIFFERENCES AND ATTEMPTING TO ALIGN THEM, A SPECIAL SKILL THAT
I HAVE HAD TO LEARN FAST.” - SENZO NDLANGAMANDLA.
Senzo Ndlangamandla CA(SA) has been described as a visionary leader igniting excellence in accounting and beyond, and as a rare gem who excels in his chartered accountancy practice and demonstrates visionary leadership. Yet, emerging as the 2023 overall winner of the esteemed SAICA Top 35-under-35 competition late last year, the now 35-year-old UJ alumnus, Ndlangamandla did at no point imagine his name would be called out. “I did not expect it. Absolutely zero expectations! We had a diverse team of fellow finalists doing amazing things in their respective spaces. Judging from each profile, I did not think I stood a chance. My heart is full of gratitude,“ he says. He attributes his success to a culmination of contributions to the profession, his role as the head of the department, and his prior managerial experiences. His humility and gratitude towards the judging panel echo his commitment to continuous improvement and recognition of the collective efforts that led to this significant accolade. He humbly cites his most significant achievement thus far as having found his passion. “It might be more accurate to say that accounting chose me. I ended up in my high school commerce class because I registered late and the science class was already full. I ‘answered’ to the calling and embraced commerce, and that is how a very strong passion for the accounting profession grew. “I have been able to view my work as a hobby because of how passionate I am about what I do through the fulfilling moments but also extremely challenging and difficult moments,” he says.
Mr Senzo Ndlangamandla
Ndlangamandla is currently head of the Department of Accounting Sciences at Walter Sisulu University (WSU) and managing director at his audit practice SnB Chartered Accountants & Registered Auditors. At the latter, he addresses the critical issue of youth unemployment in South Africa and contributes to the country’s socio-economic development by managing a staff complement of 11, all youth. From 2015 to 2018, he was the JSE Investment Challenge coordinator in the Mthatha region, where he introduced students and learners from predominantly rural communities to the stock exchange dynamics. After that, his career progressed rapidly, and he was formally appointed head of the department in 2022. Leadership challenges Leadership at a young age comes with its challenges, he says. “In academia, leadership is often characterised by seniority, but not in the department I lead. My three predecessors were also young. At my relatively young age, I have more than half the staff complement of 43 who are older than me, including a Prof, and a good number of staff members with more academic experience than I have. This is compounded
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