Azile Nkabinde is the first Thuthuka student in the programme ever to pass the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA) Initial Test of Competency (ITC) exam with honours.
Not only did she pass with flying colours, the academic trainee and former student on the Chartered Accountant programme at the University of Pretoria also placed in the Top 10.
Azile is the first Thuthuka student at Tuks to graduate cum laude for both her undergraduate and honours degrees.
Placing fourth out of 2 561 students who wrote the national ITC exam bears testament to Azile’s diligence, hard work and inquiring mind.
She graduated with distinction, both in her BCom and BCom Honours in Accounting Sciences. In addition, she received subject prizes for the best performance in Financial Accounting and Auditing at honours level in 2015.
Azile is a former pupil of Ferrum High School and grew up in Madadeni. The youngster said her love for accounting developed only later in her high school studies.
“As I grew up, I found more and more it is really an area of interest and I could get better and better at it.”
Azile admitted it was not always easy; challenges and failures were unavoidable.
“I also failed tests, and it’s perfectly okay because it’s just another opportunity to learn,” she added.
She claimed one only gets better at what one does by investing and applying oneself, and believing one can achieve great things.
Her advice to fellow students who plan to pursue a career in accounting is to ask questions, be curious, have dreams and goals, and to develop plans and strategies to achieve them.
“No goal is too big with the right attitude and focus,” she concluded.
