The South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA), in partnership with Sage Pastel Accounting, held a prize-giving ceremony at Middleburg Muslim High School in Mpumalanga to celebrate the achievements of participants in this year’s National SAICA Sage Pastel Accounting Olympiad. The 2015 Olympiad attracted 4170 grade 11 and 12 learners from 322 schools from around the country.

National winner, Sumaiya Jeewa from the Middelburg Muslim School in Mpumalanga, scored an impressive 95%. Thembelihle Mzila from Ladysmith High School (KZN) was second with 94%, and the third place was a tie between Joshua Gonggryp from Westville Boys’ High (KZN) and Naushaad Maharaj from Rondebosch Boys’ High School (WC), who both scored 93%.

From left: Jerry Skei, Sage Account Manager , Sumaiya Jeewa, National winner from Middelburg Muslim School, Gugu Makhanya, Project Director for Transformation, Growth and Professional Development at SAICA

Jeewa says: “I’m really happy that my work for this year’s Olympiad has paid off. Thank you to my family and teachers for their support and guidance in this effort.” “Sumaiya is a talented, hardworking and dedicated pupil, and we are proud of her accomplishments,” says Middleburg Muslim High School principal Mrs. E.M Pienaar “The Accounting Olympiad is a great initiative and it does so much to generate interest in this important subject among our students.

In a separate ceremony, Mahlatsi High School received its prizes for being the top-performing school in Mpumalanga for the first time with a 64% average obtained. It received prizes such as two desktop computers pre-loaded with Pastel software and pencil cases for learners. The Accounting teacher Nozipho Sithole says: “Accounting is a valuable subject that will benefit learners in nearly any career path they follow. We always take part in this competition because it inspires our students to work hard at improving their performance. Thank you to Sage Pastel and SAICA for sponsoring the Olympiad and giving our learners the opportunity to really stretch their accounting skills.”

Top 3 winners in Mpumalanga: Monique De Abreu from Hoerskool Kanonkop, Sumaiya Jeewa & Sumayyah Bhayat both from Middelburg Muslim School with the representatives from Sage Pastel Accounting and SAICA

Says Daryl Blundell, General Manager for Sage Pastel Accounting: “This year’s results are notable for being among the best since the inception of the national competition - congratulations to everyone who took part. We are delighted to see that so many learners are embracing accounting as a subject, and we are always impressed by the passion, dedication and skill we see among the participants.”