The path to becoming a Chartered Accountant does not end with passing the final exam. For many women, staying in the profession and finding opportunities to grow can bring a different set of challenges, from financial pressure and limited mentorship to getting access to the networks that can help open the next door.

For the African Women Chartered Accountants (AWCA), addressing those challenges has become an important part of its work. As the organisation marked 24 years of advancing Black women in the chartered accountancy profession, its focus was not only on celebrating those who had made it but also on identifying what is needed to ensure more women can remain in the profession and move into leadership.

AWCA President, Pumla Molope, said the organisation's future must be built on the work of those who came before while remaining responsive to its members' needs. “The story of AWCA and its legacy, like you saw today with the work done by the past presidents, is something I want to protect. Our core mandate is to accelerate the advancement of Black women-chartered accountants,” she said.

Molope said each president has a responsibility to build on that foundation and make sure the organisation's existing initiatives continue to have an impact. “Going forward, every president steps up the organisation, including myself. I want to build on that foundation, add more based on what our members want and need and ensure the initiatives we’ve already started continue to be successful.”

That work is taking place at different points along the professional journey. Molope said AWCA has always placed importance on mentorship but has also placed greater focus on sponsorship, particularly in helping capable women gain recognition and access to opportunities. “We have always focused on mentorship but we also focus heavily on sponsorship,” she said. “When we know a capable woman, we champion her in spaces she might not even be in to ensure she gets recognised and empowered.” She said this forms part of a wider effort to prevent women from leaving the profession due to financial difficulties, a lack of mentorship or gaps in training and executive development. “Our job at AWCA is to prevent talent loss at every stage,” she said.

The need for that support was reflected in the story of Maziko Kagoli, who was named the 2026 recipient of the Sindi Mabaso-Koyana Bursary Student of the Year Award at AWCA's Women of Substance Fundraising gala dinner. The award recognises a bursary recipient who has shown academic excellence, leadership and resilience.

Kagoli began her PGDA year without knowing how she would pay for it. Coming from a single-income household with limited financial support, she said there were times when she was unsure whether she would be able to continue working towards becoming a Chartered Accountant. “I registered with nothing but faith and a prayer,” she said. “I genuinely worried about what would happen if I couldn’t secure funding. There were moments when I feared I wouldn’t be able to continue my journey toward becoming a Chartered Accountant.”

The bursary changed that uncertainty. Kagoli said it allowed her to complete her studies without the financial stress she had been carrying and gave her the chance to begin her career without student debt. “This bursary allowed me to complete my studies without the weight of financial stress. It also means I can begin my career without the burden of repaying student debt,” she said. “That is an incredible privilege that many of my peers do not have and I am deeply grateful to AWCA and its sponsors for giving me that opportunity.”

Her experience is part of the reason financial support remains central to AWCA's work. At the gala, programme director Azania Mosaka described bursaries as an investment in future leaders, families, the economy and the continent. The organisation has also continued to call on sponsors to contribute to its bursary fund as it works to support more students.

For Kagoli, receiving the bursary has also shaped how she thinks about her own future. She hopes to qualify as a Chartered Accountant and remain involved with AWCA, including through mentorship. “In five years, I hope to be a qualified Chartered Accountant. I also hope to deepen my involvement with AWCA by serving on its subcommittees and giving back to students through mentorship,” she said. “Just as others invested in me, I hope to invest in the next generation of young women pursuing this path.”

She said that receiving an award bearing Sindi Mabaso-Koyana's name was not something she took lightly. “To receive an award bearing Sindi Mabaso-Koyana’s name is, to me, both an honour and a responsibility,” she said. For Kagoli, the award is a reminder of the importance of “strong leadership, service to others, excellence and creating opportunities for those who come after us”.

That idea of creating opportunities for those who follow is closely tied to AWCA's history. During the gala, the organisation looked back on its 24 years through a documentary featuring past presidents and founding members who reflected on the decision to establish AWCA in response to the underrepresentation of Black female Chartered Accountants in South Africa. The organisation has since grown from its early beginnings into a national institution that has helped thousands of Black women qualify as Chartered Accountants.

Molope said that history also informs AWCA's next steps. The organisation is working to connect qualified women to professional opportunities and to strengthen its leadership programmes. She said AWCA uses its network to recommend qualified members when board and executive positions become available, describing the work as a combination of advocacy and providing direct references to help women step into those roles.

The organisation is also looking at leadership beyond the corporate space. Molope said its Women in the Public Sector programme aims to directly impact 500 senior women leaders. AWCA also wants to broaden its mentorship reach through the Middlesex University mentorship programme and continue securing more bursaries for students. For Molope, the link between financial support and professional growth is straightforward: “More bursaries, more students, more CAs.”

The gala's awards programme reflected the range of spaces in which women are already making their mark. The 2026 AWCA Recognition Awards honoured professionals across auditing, tax, academia, entrepreneurship and senior roles in the public and private sectors. The organisation's highest honour, the Woman of Substance Award, went to Dr Precious Moloi-Motsepe.

In accepting the award, Moloi-Motsepe spoke about leadership in terms of purpose and impact. Drawing on her medical background, she encouraged leaders to listen before acting, to understand the person behind the numbers and to recognise that rest and renewal are necessary. Her message added another dimension to the evening's discussion about what it means for women to reach positions of influence and how they use those positions once they get there.

The profession itself is also changing and Molope said women need to be ready for that change. Speaking about artificial intelligence, she encouraged African women Chartered Accountants to see the technology as a tool that can support their work rather than something to fear. “They shouldn't be afraid of AI; they must use it as an enabling tool in their work,” she said. “AI isn't human; you are the human being who brings judgment, ethics and education. Think of AI as an incredibly efficient intern that makes your job easier. My advice is to embrace it.”

For Molope, adapting to change must still be grounded in the values expected of people in positions of responsibility. Asked what “substance” means for a leader in the profession today, she pointed to integrity, ethics and having a strong moral compass. “That is the most important foundation for any leader,” she said. “And if you're going to lead, you must lead in a way that inspires people to follow you.”

The challenge for AWCA now is to ensure that the opportunities being created do not end with one generation. Its work starts with students who need a chance to continue their studies, extends to qualified professionals who need support to progress and includes women leaders who can eventually create opportunities for others.

Kagoli is already thinking about that next step. Having received support when she was unsure whether she could continue her studies, she now wants to become part of someone else's support system. Her message to young people facing financial barriers is simple: “Don’t let financial barriers convince you that your dream is impossible. Your circumstances do not define your future.”

That may be the clearest picture of what AWCA is trying to build. Not simply a profession with more Black women in it but a stronger network of women who can support one another, take up leadership and make it easier for the next woman to find her place.