POLOKWANE – Limpopo’s new Auditor-General (AG), Nthanyi Dhumazi, says her determination is the secret to her success.

“I grew up in a small village, Tshidimbini village, some 15km from Sibasa in Venda. I found out that chartered accountants (CA) existed and what they did when I was in gr. 8 and decided that was what I wanted to be one day,” she says.

Dhumazi says she had to put her foot down from the very beginning to reach her goals.

“The principal of our school laid down the law and he alone made the decisions on learners’ academic careers. He divided us into classes and you had to choose subjects that corresponded with that class’ chosen course,” she says.

“He put me in the class that had to study agriculture. I wanted to become a CA and told him that I would never follow a career in agriculture, because I had no interest in farming. He moved me to another class and I was able to start pursuing my dream.”

(VIDEO INTERVIEW) Nthanyi Dhumazi, Limpopo province’s new Auditor-General

Dhumazi explains that she faced obstacles after school too.

“After I obtained my B.Com accounting degree at the University of Venda, I went to Johannesburg to find work. There I found out that my degree was not recognised by the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants and I had to complete a bridging course through Unisa,” she says.

She says she joined an accounting firm in 1997 as a CA articled clerk and passed her CA’s exam.

She says it is important to establish good working relationships with auditees.

“They should not see us as holding the stick. They must trust us too.”

“In 1999 I joined the well known accounting firm KPMG and in 2001 I became the chief financial officer (CFO) of the then department of roads and transport in Limpopo.”

Dhumazi says she was the CFO of this department for seven years before she moved on to the department of sport, arts and culture to help them establish proper financial systems.

“In August 2007, I joined PwC as a consultant. I worked there for almost three years before I became the director of finance for the University of Venda,” she says.

This dynamic woman is now Limpopo’s AG. “I was headhunted to fill this position and started in my AG capacity at the beginning of February,” she explains.

For Dhumazi working in Polokwane is like a homecoming, because her husband works in the city too and her children are at school here.

“After four years of only seeing my family on weekends, I can now say I am home. My daughter is especially happy about the move,” she says.

She is undaunted by the demands of her position. “I have worked in govern-ment before. I understand how it works. The only difference is that I am now looking in from the outside. There is certainly a lot of work to be done, but I am very happy to be able to work in an auditing environment again. I love the investigations and the challenges that go with it,” she says.

When Review asks whether she is tough or soft-hearted, she explains that her approach to challenges will be determined by the situation. “I am part of a team. Internally I will be able to achieve more with a softer approach, but I will have to be tough when it comes to auditing departments.”

She says it is important to establish good working relationships with auditees. “They should not see us as holding the stick. They must trust us too.”