Conny Mhlongo, Tax Accountant
Tax Accountant
Current Experience:
Tax Accountant at Nedbank · Full-time Jul 2024 - Present · (1 yr 3 mos)
Past Experience:
Accountant at Arrow Content · Full-time Jan 2023 - Jun 2024 · (1 yr 6 mos)
Accounting Officer intern at Standard Bank Group · Contract Apr 2021 - Jan 2023 · (1 yr 10 mos)
Qualifications:
Occupational Certificate: Tax Professional
Bcom Accounting
Country of Residence:
South Africa
LinkedIn Profile:
Conny Mhlongo isn’t just a tax accountant. She’s a compliance lifeline for clients on the edge.
Her defining moment? Fighting to protect a trust for orphans from a brutal SARS penalty. No records. No mercy. And no room for error.
This is what real impact looks like, not behind a desk, but in the trenches, navigating audits, building trust, and defending the most vulnerable with nothing but guts and spreadsheets.
What time do you usually wake up on weekends?
06:00 AM
Are you an early bird or a night owl?
Early Bird
How do you spend the first hour of your day?
I usually start my morning by reviewing any unfinished tasks from the previous day and mapping out what needs to get done for the day ahead.
What sparked your interest in accounting or finance?
What drew me to accounting and finance is the opportunity to help people and businesses better understand their finances, make informed decisions, and gain clarity around areas like taxes.
Can you share some key career milestones or defining moments?
One of my key milestones was starting out as a graduate intern. That experience gave me the confidence to believe that the sky is truly the limit in my career.
What is your role within your company’s finance department?
My role involves ensuring tax compliance by coordinating with SARS and collaborating with various stakeholders.
How do you contribute to the overall financial strategy of the business?
I contribute by managing our clientele and making sure they remain fully compliant.
What is one of the biggest challenges you’ve faced in your role? How did you overcome it?
One of the biggest challenges I faced was managing a complex audit for a client who hadn’t kept proper records, which also required preparing an ADR1. The pressure was high because deadlines were tight and the risk of penalties was significant. The client was a trust for orphans, and if SARS had imposed penalties, the trust wouldn’t have had enough funds to support itself or its beneficiaries. I overcame this by working closely with the right stakeholders, following due process with SARS, and carefully reconstructing the client’s records.
What tools or strategies do you use to manage the financial operations of the company effectively?
My role doesn’t mainly involve managing the company’s financial operations.
Share your strategies for staying balanced, especially during busy periods.
I focus on building a routine that supports a steady workflow while also taking care of my body through regular exercise and staying active.
What do you enjoy outside of work?
Outside of work, I enjoy spending time at church, going for runs, and hiking.
Do you mentor or support other team members in the finance department?
I support my team by sharing my knowledge and making sure they have the same opportunities I’ve had, if not better.
What advice would you give to someone aspiring to work in a finance department?
Focus on developing your expertise, be confident in your work, identify your area of specialization, and continually advance your skills in that field.
“Hope grows, despite everything. Even in the dark, silence hope grows.”
Share a leadership lesson or a piece of advice that’s been valuable to you in your career
Never assume you know it all; always stay open to learning new things.
What’s something surprising about you that isn’t in your professional bio?
I enjoy singing and am a big fan of good music.
If you could have any superpower to help you in your job, what would it be?
If I could have any superpower to help in my role as a tax accountant, it would be the ability to master multitasking. Balancing multiple clients, keeping up with frequent tax law changes, and meeting tight deadlines all demand strong organization. Enhanced multitasking would let me work more efficiently and accurately, ultimately providing better service to my clients.
What’s your go-to strategy for staying productive during long workdays?
To stay productive during long workdays, I plan ahead and prioritize tasks by deadline and complexity. I focus on high-concentration tasks in the morning when my energy is at its peak and take short breaks to stay refreshed. This approach helps me maintain accuracy and momentum, especially during busy periods like filing season.
If you could relive one day from your career, which day would it be and why?
If I could relive one day from my career, it would be the day I successfully resolved a long-standing SARS dispute for a client. After weeks of gathering documents, drafting responses, and coordinating with SARS, we received confirmation that the issue was settled in the client’s favor. That day was special not only because of the professional success, but also because it reminded me why I chose this career.
Conny is proof that technical skills matter, but character matters more. She’s rebuilding trust in the tax system, one client at a time.
And she’s not keeping her wins to herself. She mentors others, shares her tools, and reminds us: You don’t need to be in a big firm to make a big impact.
Want to grow your practice and charge what you’re worth?
Join CIBA and we’ll show you how to turn compliance into confidence.
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