The South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA), South Africa’s pre-eminent accountancy body, is widely recognised as one of the world’s leading accounting institutes. The institute provides a wide range of support services to more than 48,000 members and associates who are chartered accountants (CAs(SA)), as well as associate general accountants (AGAs(SA)) and accounting technicians (ATs(SA)).
As of June 2021, the institute has over 48,000 members. SAICA provides support, advice and services to its members throughout their professional lives. SAICA members are business advisors, business leaders and entrepreneurs. SAICA members can use the accredited CA(SA), AGA(SA) or AT(SA) designations.
Membership and qualification
To become a student and a member of the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants the candidate needs to enroll for an Accounting degree or an equivalent CA(SA) undergraduate qualification at a SAICA accredited university. Once the degree is completed the student is required to complete his Certificate in the Theory of Accounting (CTA). This course focuses on accounting, auditing, taxation and financial management. The course takes a minimum of one year and must be completed at a SAICA accredited university. Upon completion of CTA, the candidates are eligible to enter into a 3-year learnership with a Registered Training Office (RTO) (to specialise in auditing) or an Approved Training Organisation (ATO) (to specialise in financial management)
Regional representation
SAICA is constituted of four local regional offices as well as two international representative offices, which serve members based in those respective regions. The regions are as follows;
Northern Region (Gauteng, Mpumalanga and Limpopo provinces); Eastern Region (KwaZulu-Natal province); Southern Region (Western Cape and Eastern Cape provinces); Central Region (Free State, North West and Northern Cape provinces); SAICA Australia; SAICA United Kingdom (UK).
International involvement
SAICA members serve on international accounting bodies including; the trustees of the International Financial Reporting Standards Foundation (IFRS Foundation), the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB), the International Financial Reporting Interpretations Committee (IFRIC) and the Council of the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC).
International contact and co-operation are fundamental to the standing and image of SAICA. Hence, the institute plays an influential role in the Eastern, Central & Southern African Federation of Accountants (ECSAFA). ECSAFA coordinates the development of the accountancy profession and promotes internationally recognised standards of professional competence and conduct in Eastern, Central and Southern Africa. SAICA was a charter member of the Pan African Federation of Accountants, which was inaugurated on 5 May 2011.
SAICA is also a member of the Global Accounting Alliance (GAA) – an alliance of the world’s leading professional accountancy bodies, which was formed in 2005. The GAA is intended to promote quality services, share information and collaborate on important international issues. It works with national regulators, governments and stakeholders, through member-body collaboration, articulation of consensus views, and working in collaboration, where possible with other international bodies, especially IFAC.
In July 2023 SAICA launched the ISSB standards in South Africa in order to provide globally consistent, trustworthy, and comparable sustainability reporting.