Sinegugu Malunga, Associate
Associate
Current Experience:
Associate at PwC South Africa · Full-time Jan 2023 - Present · (2 yrs 10 mos)
Past Experience:
Accountant at BDO South Africa · Full-time Jul 2022 - Dec 2022 · (6 mos)
Trainee Accountant at Nadia Cronje and Associates· Full-time Jul 2019 - Jun 2022 · (3 yrs)
Qualifications:
BCom Accounting
Country of Residence:
South Africa
LinkedIn Profile:
“From church leadership to SARS refunds, Sinegugu Malunga isn’t your average accountant.”
She didn’t just pass Accounting. She aced it with 4 distinctions. Inspired by her cousin’s spreadsheets and nerd swag, she took a leap from a small firm to the Big Four and never looked back.
Now, she’s claiming space as a tax pro who knows how to rescue a R3 million VAT refund in the middle of a pandemic. Her phone? Full of golden-hour shots. Her mindset? Built for battle.
This is the kind of accountant you want in your corner.
What time do you usually wake up on weekends?
08:00 AM
Are you an early bird or a night owl?
Early Bird
How do you spend the first hour of your day?
On weekends, I usually wake up around 7:00 a.m. out of habit, then realize it’s Saturday and go back to sleep for a bit. By 8:00 a.m., I’m up for the day, I spend about 20 minutes enjoying my coffee or breakfast, another 15 minutes showering, and then catch up on Twitter to see what I missed during the week.
What sparked your interest in accounting or finance?
My interest in accounting was sparked by my older cousin, Nhlanhla, who was the first in our family to go into finance. He was brilliant with numbers and made accounting look exciting with all the spreadsheets he’d work on late at night. I always thought he was both cool and a bit of a nerd. After receiving my matric results, with four distinctions in Accounting, Business Studies, Economics, and Life Orientation, I knew this was the path for me. Since then, my journey in accounting has been both challenging and rewarding.
Can you share some key career milestones or defining moments?
One of the key milestones in my career was deciding to move from a small firm to the Big Four, which offered greater opportunities for growth. This transition gave me exposure to high-profile clients, the chance to work on larger and more complex projects, and access to advanced training within a structured career path.
The interview process with the Big Four is often long, intense, and highly competitive. Coming from a smaller firm, the scale of this new environment was initially overwhelming. Successfully navigating this process was a major confidence boost and marked the beginning of an exciting new chapter in my career.
What is your role within your company’s finance department?
My role within the finance department includes:
Tax Compliance: Ensuring clients adhere to tax laws and submit the required tax returns.
Financial Reporting: Handling compilation engagements, including annual financial statements and independent reviews.
Audit Preparation: Preparing for internal and external audits by making sure all records are accurate and complete.
How do you contribute to the overall financial strategy of the business?
As a tax accountant, I contribute to the overall financial strategy of the business by:
Tax Planning and Legal Compliance: Advising clients on tax-saving opportunities and strategies to minimize liabilities while staying compliant with both local and international regulations.
Compliance with Financial Regulations: Ensuring that the business and its clients adhere to all applicable financial regulations, which can vary depending on the region and industry.
What is one of the biggest challenges you’ve faced in your role? How did you overcome it?
One of the biggest challenges I’ve faced as an accountant is managing tight deadlines at the end of the financial year, particularly when there are last-minute adjustments or changes to tax regulations. Handling multiple client accounts while ensuring everything remains accurate and compliant can be stressful. To manage this, I use detailed checklists and timelines for each task, breaking them into smaller, manageable steps. This approach helps me track progress and identify potential issues early.
What tools or strategies do you use to manage the financial operations of the company effectively?
To manage the company’s financial operations effectively, I rely on accounting software such as Xero, Sage, and CaseWare. These tools help reduce errors in the accounting records and are cost-effective for businesses. By using these systems alongside careful monitoring and adapting to changes in the financial landscape, I can help ensure the company’s financial stability while supporting its growth and success.
Share your strategies for staying balanced, especially during busy periods.
As a senior associate, I stay balanced during busy periods by prioritizing tasks and delegating where possible, so I can focus on the most important work. Time management and planning are crucial, I plan ahead to avoid missing deadlines and to meet clients’ key timelines. I also use time blocking, dedicating specific chunks of time to particular tasks. This helps me stay focused, minimize distractions, and even schedule breaks to maintain productivity during hectic periods.
What do you enjoy outside of work?
Outside of work, I enjoy hiking and spending time in nature, which helps me recharge and clear my mind. I also volunteer at my church, which gives me a sense of purpose and provides an opportunity to develop my leadership skills in a different setting.
Do you mentor or support other team members in the finance department?
I have two junior accountants supporting me, and I believe in a structured yet practical approach to mentoring. I combine learning with hands-on experience by assigning tasks such as performing bank reconciliations or entering sales invoices into the accounting system. I guide them through the process and offer advice on challenges, but I don’t spoon-feed them. I encourage them to try solving problems on their own, and if they spend more than five minutes without finding a solution, that’s when they can come to me for guidance.
What advice would you give to someone aspiring to work in a finance department?
Becoming an accountant is a rewarding career, and here’s some advice for anyone aspiring to work in a finance department:
Plan your career path: Get the right education and be intentional about the area of finance you want to pursue, as the field is quite broad. There are multiple professional bodies beyond SAICA, such as SAIPA, ACCA, CIMA, and AGA, offering different paths to success.
Network actively: Join LinkedIn and connect with other finance professionals in your area of interest. Building relationships in the industry can open doors and provide valuable insights.
Stay up to date: Follow professional accounting organisations on social media, subscribe to accounting journals, and keep track of changes and trends in the field.
“Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will. — Suzy Kassem”
Share a leadership lesson or a piece of advice that’s been valuable to you in your career
A valuable leadership lesson I’ve learned is to not just solve problems, but to teach others how to approach them. In accounting, it’s easy to be recognized for quickly fixing issues like reconciling accounts or spotting discrepancies. True leadership, however, is about empowering your team to handle these situations on their own, rather than stepping in to fix everything yourself.
What’s something surprising about you that isn’t in your professional bio?
Something surprising about me is that I’m always carrying a camera, I enjoy photography and content creation as a hobby and love chasing the golden hour. My phone’s camera roll is basically a visual diary of my life and my friends’ lives.
If you could have any superpower to help you in your job, what would it be?
If I could have any superpower to help me in my role as an accountant, it would be the ability to multitask flawlessly at an exceptional level. Accounting often requires juggling multiple responsibilities at once, such as preparing financial statements, managing audits, and handling client inquiries. With this superpower, I could manage all tasks efficiently without missing deadlines or compromising accuracy, reducing stress and improving the quality of service I provide to clients.
What’s your go-to strategy for staying productive during long workdays?
My go-to strategy for staying productive during long workdays is setting small wins. By breaking larger tasks into smaller, manageable steps, I maintain momentum and feel a sense of accomplishment every time I tick something off my list, which keeps me motivated throughout the day.
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 during my article days when I helped a client secure a R3 million VAT refund from SARS that had been on hold for years. This happened during Covid-19, a time when many companies were struggling to pay their staff, so I really felt I made a meaningful difference that day. As a token of appreciation, the Director gave me a large amount of chocolates, which was perfect since I have such a sweet tooth.
Sinegugu proves what we already know:
You don’t need a fancy title to lead. You need grit, systems, and a deep drive to deliver, even when the chocolate’s the only thank-you you get. She’s mentoring juniors, slashing SARS stress, and still finds time for Twitter trends and church leadership.
The world needs more accountants like her. We’re here to help you become one.
Join CIBA and we’ll show you how to level up your impact, your income, and your influence.
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