After his nomination by the Department of Higher Education and Training, Simphiwe Artell Malaza, a Unisa PhD candidate, was appointed to the Finance and Accounting Services Sector Education and Training Authority (FASSET) Board.

Malaza has been entrusted with providing strategic leadership and oversight in an institution that focuses on strengthening South Africa’s financial and accounting skills landscape. His responsibilities also include serving on two sub-committees: the Audit and Risk Committee and the Finance Committee.

He also serves as a board member of the South African Institute of Internal Auditors, an organisation that seeks to support strong governance practices that enhance the effectiveness and credibility of the Sector Education and Training Authority system in advancing national skills and development priorities.

For Malaza, board committees play a critical role in reinforcing internal controls, enterprise risk management, financial oversight and compliance with legislative and regulatory frameworks. He states that his contribution is to ensure that both institutions are financially sustainable and responsive to the evolving needs of a digitally transforming economy.

His participation in these structures is guided by his commitment to strengthening accountability mechanisms and enhancing institutional resilience. "My responsibility is to provide effective governance in these domains, which is fundamental to safeguarding institutional legitimacy and ensuring that public funds are utilised efficiently to advance national skills development priorities," said Malaza.

Malaza’s PhD study with Unisa’s College of Accounting Sciences focuses on mobile money and banking regulation, where he explores how regulatory frameworks can evolve to support financial innovation while maintaining financial stability. He explains: "My research seeks to contribute to policy and scholarly discourse on financial inclusion". Malaza further reiterates the role of digital financial systems as enablers of inclusive growth within emerging economies.

As an entrepreneur, Malaza also leads an accounting firm, which is a development that marks a journey spanning various sectors such as forensic accounting, microfinance, enterprise development and logistics. "The experience derived from these sectors informs my governance approach," he continues, "it integrates technical financial oversight with strategic value creation."

In all his appointments, Malaza integrates his professional responsibility with his scholarly research interests, which ultimately contributes to strengthening institutional governance, enhancing financial integrity and supporting South Africa’s skills ecosystem. 

* By Kgaogelo Magare, Production Assistant, Unisa Foundation and Alumni Relations