Diploma: Local Government Finance
Duration: 3 years
Delivery Site: Potsdam
SAQA ID: 97045
Entrepreneurship and Professional Development of Students
Management and Governance strive to instil entrepreneurial skills in our graduates to support their academic talents.
Ongoing entrepreneurial exposure is presented via successful local business people and other entrepreneurial experts.
The Department will use the Advisory Boards to assist in this regard.
Students and staff are encouraged to become members of the various professional and institutional bodies.
Career Opportunities
Qualifying learners could follow a career within the government sectors in:
- Financial Services
- Administration
- Management
- Accounting
- Project Management.
Prospective Employers
- Government (national departments, provincial departments and local authorities)
- Private and Parastatal Organisations
- Research Organisations
- Tertiary Education Institutions.
Purpose of the Qualification
Municipalities across the country are actively enhancing their financial management capacity to ensure they comply with legal requirements for their budgeting and spending.
This Diploma is aimed at assisting people working as municipal finance offers to improve their qualifications and career prospects.
Exit Level Outcomes of the Programme
- Demonstrate an understanding of how Local Government operates.
- Apply support and administrative services in the Local Government context.
- Demonstrate an understanding of municipal financial management and budgeting.
Minimum Admission Requirements
National Senior Certificate (NSC)
APS: 30
- NSC achievement rating of at least 3 (40-49%) for English as a Home Language or First Additional Language level
- NSC achievement rating of at least 3 (40-49%) for Mathematics or 4 for Mathematics Literacy
- NSC achievement rating of at least 3 (40-49%) for Business Management, Economics and Accounting
- Minimum statutory NSC requirements for diploma entry must be met.
Grade 12/Matric
Senior Certificate Requirement
An E-symbol for English (2nd language) on the Higher Grade. In addition, an E-symbol on the Higher grade for Mathematics and E symbol on commercial subjects.
FET Colleges
National Certificate (Vocational) Level 4:
Requirements as defined in Government Gazette 32743 dated 26 November 2009 with specific requirements as set out below:
- Must meet NC(V) Level 4 statutory requirements
- Must obtain 50% in the three fundamental subjects which in the case of this programme are required to be:
- English as it is the university’s language of learning and teaching (LOTL)
- Mathematics or Mathematics Literacy
- Business Management
- Accounting
- Economics.
Diploma: Internal Auditing
It is part of the Department of Accounting’s mission to instil entrepreneurial skills in our graduates to support their academic talents.
Therefore, ongoing entrepreneurial exposure will be presented via successful local business people and other entrepreneurial experts.
Visit the websites of professional bodies such as the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), Institute of Internal Auditors South Africa (IIA SA) and South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA) for more information.
What can a Graduate do in This Career?
The Advanced Diploma: Internal Auditing graduate is able to enrol for a professional qualification like the IIA or to do an honours or masters degree in internal auditing.
Alternatively, a graduate is able to seek employment in the auditing field in the private and public sectors.
Who Employs a Graduate?
Businesses in the private sector and the public sector (for example, local and provincial government departments, South African Revenue Services).
Purpose of the Qualification
A graduate will be able to act as an audit team manager performing (manual and computerised) financial and operational audit functions.
Exit Level Outcomes of the Programme
- Audit manual and computerised business cycles.
- Prepare and interpret financial statements of companies and groups of companies in accordance with GAAP, including the valuation of interests represented by these statements.
- Record the accounting implications of changes within a company structure and investments.
- Determine the tax liability of individuals, assist with the tax liability of other legal entities and prepare submissions to the South African Revenue Services.
- Identify the economic environment within which South African commercial organisations apply their trade.
- Develop an administration system together with the business plan for a small retail business.
Critical Cross-Field Outcomes
On completion of this qualification, graduates should be able to:
- Take decisions and accept responsibility.
- Identify and solve basic problems.
- Communicate effectively by way of mathematical and written presentations.
- Work with others as a member of a team.
- Collect, analyse and evaluate information.
- Demonstrate an understanding of the world to identify entrepreneurial opportunities.
Minimum Admission Requirements
National Senior Certificate
- NSC achievement rating of at least 3 (40-49%) for English as a Home Language or First Additional Language level
- NSC achievement rating of at least 3 (40-49%) in 3 other relevant subjects one of which must be Mathematics (not Mathematics Literacy)
- Minimum statutory NSC requirements for diploma entry must be met
- Applicants are required to participate in National Benchmarking and SATAPS Tests.
Grade 12/Matric
- Senior Certificate Requirement: A D-symbol for English (2nd language) on the Higher Grade. In addition, an E-symbol on the Higher Grade or a D-symbol on the Standard Grade for Mathematics and in 2 other relevant subjects.
FET Colleges
- National Certificate Requirement: An N3 certificate with D-symbols for at least four subjects including Mathematics or an E-symbol at N4 level as well as the language requirements as specified for the Senior Certificate.
Recognition of Prior Learning
- The provision that the qualification may be obtained through the recognition of prior learning facilitates access to education, training and a career path in accounting and thus accelerates the redress of past unfair discrimination in education, training and employment opportunities.
- Evidence of prior learning must be assessed through formal RPL processes through recognised methods. Any other evidence of prior learning should be assessed through formal RPL processes to recognise achievement thereof.
- Learners submitting themselves for RPL should be thoroughly briefed prior to the assessment and will be required to submit a Portfolio of Evidence (PoE) in the prescribed format to be assessed for formal recognition. While this is primarily a workplace-based qualification, evidence from other areas of learning may be introduced if pertinent to any of the Exit Level Outcomes (ELOs).
- The structure of this non-unit standard based qualification makes RPL possible if the learner is able to demonstrate competence in the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes implicit in this first stage accounting qualification.
- Learners who already work in the accounting field who believe they possess competencies to enable them to meet some or all of the ELOs listed in the qualification will be able to present themselves for assessment against those of their choice.
Diploma in Accountancy