School of Accountancy honours top students
- Wits University
The Margo Steele School of Accountancy (MSSOA) hosted its annual Prize Giving Breakfast on Friday, 16 May 2025.
The event marked a special occasion to celebrate the academic achievements of students who excelled in their studies throughout the 2024 academic year.
Sponsors KPMG, EY, Deloitte, PricewaterhouseCoopers, IRBA, Mazars Gauteng, BDO, ACCA, Syft Analytics, Investec Private Bank, the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA), and Boston Consulting Group partnered with the MSSOA to acknowledge and reward student excellence. View prizes here
The morning began with the Head of School, Professor Zubair Wadee, acknowledging not only the dedication and perseverance of the students but also the vital role played by their families and support networks in helping them achieve their goals.
This year’s event also featured a keynote address by guest speaker, Head of Audit for KPMG in Southern Africa, Devon Duffield. In his talk, Duffield reminded the recipients that a career in accountancy carries with it not only the technical expertise but also a deep responsibility to uphold the profession’s core values.
“This profession is not just debits and credits,” said Duffield. His words served as both a celebration of the students' accomplishments and a call to embrace the ethical and leadership obligations that come with their future roles.
The focus of the event though, was the presentation of awards to top-performing students across various accounting disciplines, including Financial Accounting, Taxation, Auditing, and Management Accounting, at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
Among the standout achievers were:
- Jayden Smith, who collected several accolades including the KPMG Prize for Financial Accounting III, the EY Prize for Taxation III, and joint honours in the IRBA Prize for Auditing III.
- Murunwa Khalushi, who earned the EY Prize for Taxation IV and the Boston Consulting Group Prize for the top female student in the Postgraduate Diploma in Accountancy program.
- Bilal Said, who received awards in Financial Accounting IV and Auditing IV, as well as the SAICA Chartered Accountant's Prize for Postgraduate Diploma in Accountancy which is awarded to the top student in the program.
Other notable awardees included Kiara Nassif, Olga Tivane, Sanjika Senarathne, and Nasr Moolla, each recognised for their exceptional performance in their respective disciplines.
The Dean of the Faculty of Commerce Law and Management, Professor Jason Cohen, also acknowledged the students who excelled in the SAICA January 2025 Initial Assessment of Competence (IAC) and the December 2024 Assessment of Professional Competence (APC).
In the IAC:
- Tana Herson achieved First Place nationally.
- Trinity Masiakwala secured Fourth Place.
- Bilal Said placed Ninth.
- Rumaanah Dangor and Morale Kutumela both earned places on the elusive Honours Roll, by achieving 75% or more.
In the APC, Yusuf Seedat was recognised for achieving a Top 5 Honours Pass.
Wadee noted that it has been a year since The Wits School of Accountancy has been renamed in honour of former Head of School, Margo Steele, and the $10m donation has already had a tremendous impact on the lives of students. Recipients of the Margo Steele Bursary recorded a 97% pass rate. “We are also proud of our continued significant contribution of African candidates to the profession, proving once again that at Wits, excellence and transformation of the profession can be achieved simultaneously,” said Wadee.