Important News from the Independent Regulatory Board for Auditors (IRBA) (2013-01-18)
February 17,
2015 3131 3131 
It is easy to bandy around numbers, especially if you are an accountant. And if you are an auditor as well, it is best to ensure that those numbers add up.
However, if balancing these numbers was as simple as balancing the books, the auditing profession would be smiling all the way to the bank. But nobody is smiling just yet.
If the current scenario was playing against the backdrop of the early nineties, then one could still have expected some imbalance between, let’s call it, economically active auditors, and the economically active population. But we are almost 20 years post 1994, and the situation appears largely unchanged. So, naturally, the question on everyone’s lips is: what has the profession done to transform itself and the country?
The response may come as a surprise, especially when it is considered what has actually been done in attempts to not only attract and retain more Black auditors, but also to influence the wider South African economy.
Auditing firms invest large amounts each year to support transformation in the profession, and the Institute has implemented endless projects to change the demographics of the Chartered Accountancy Profession. The IRBA has also been running a successful support programme for repeat students for the last couple of years, whereby it delivers programmes to assist candidates who failed the Final Qualifying Exam, to improve their chances with any second or subsequent attempts.
In addition, the IRBA established a Transformation Committee with a specific mandate to address the attraction and retention of Black auditors in the profession. This committee will consider the challenges faced by Black students in entering and remaining in the profession, as well as their experiences in the working environment. But similar research has already been done by other bodies, albeit not necessarily with an audit focus. However, the Transformation Committee will not drive change if it does more of the same, and consequently, its approach will focus mainly on how it can influence projects and processes that can lead to change. And what needs to be influenced involves schools, teachers, government, education, and curricula, amongst others.
