The University is responding well to the fact that its students, and many others, must deal with the shortage of employment opportunities. This week it was the turn of the Department of Accounting and Law to arm its students with the necessary knowledge that will lessen or solve the problem. On 1 October 2025 the department launched Accounting Day at the Student Centre. The department’s students gathered there to listen to constructive messages from various speakers from industry and academia. Dr Lungani Makhathini, the Head of the Department said the Accounting Day was a strategic initiative aimed at equipping Accounting students with essential work readiness skills, and also to expose them to a range of professional pathways within the Accounting field. “The programme is designed to facilitate connections between academics, students, industry professionals, professional bodies, and potential employers. In the times where unemployment is skyrocketing with technology evolving, skills development is an awakening call for our graduates to stand a chance in the highly competitive workplace,” said Dr Makhathini.
All the speakers at the event highlighted the need for having the required knowledge to either land a job or create their own companies, which can then create job opportunities for others. The guest speaker was Sthunywa Nkwanyana, a graduate from the department, who has gone on and achieved great things after his MUT years. The following organisations formed part of panel discussions and also exhibited to students: South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA); South African Institute of Professional Accountants (SAIPA); Department of labour; KZN Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (EDTEA); Chartered Institute for Business Accountants (CIBA); Association for the Advancement of Black Accountants of Southern Africa (ABASA) as well as the department’s advisory board external members, one of whom was Adele Robinson, a Lecturer in the Accounting Department at DUT, and Deputy Chair of the Accounting Industry Board. Robinson highly recommended MUT’s Accounting programme. Robinson has to make sure that the programme is up-to-date and industry-related. The MUT programme aligns very well with industry, Robinson said. “Also, MUT has integrated a practical module into their programme to help students bridge the gap between higher education and basic education,” Robinson said.
In his presentation, Nkwanyana emphasised that Accounting needs its practitioners to be ethical. He said that integrity was the cornerstone of the profession. “Make this part of your life. Auditors reinforce this principle by uncovering the wrong that others do, particularly in the business world. Do not try to make what is wrong look right. Have these principles as young as you are,” he said, adding that it was only Accountants who solve the problems that come with a lack of ethical principles.
Nkwanyana also, among others, told the students the importance of having a positive footprint on social media, where they need to make the necessary connections with the people they need to grow their profiles. Nkwanyana also used his life story to encourage the students to keep focusing on their studies. He said it was important for them to learn to invest their money. Nkwanyana also responded to the growing concern that the advent of artificial intelligence (AI) could have a negative impact on job availability. He assured the students that Accountants are still required.
The guest speaker also highlighted the importance of acquiring soft skills. “Nobody teaches you these skills”, he said. It has been pointed out that while the University students are good in the practical part of their studies, some do lack the soft skills.
The students were also told by the speakers that they need to have CVs that are up-to-date and well-written. The University’s Department of Cooperative Education’s Sibongile Blose gave the students a lecture on this subject; Dr Nondumiso Shabangu of the Writing Centre invited the students the centre to improve their academic writing skills.