Nonkululeko Gobodo: First indigenous black female Chartered Accountant in South Africa

Abstract

A case study approach is used to explore the career story of Nonkululeko. This research uses published newspapers, magazine articles, websites, and YouTube videos in which Nonkululeko talks about her career journey and goals. These were transcribed and subsequently thematically analysed using the career crafting matrix. Respondent validation with Nonkululeko was undertaken to enhance validity of the research findings. This paper demonstrates how Nonkululeko Gobodo crafted her career as a CA, despite historic gender and racial inequalities. As an indigenous black woman, her chances of becoming a significant player in apartheid South Africa were slender. Yet, through support from family, expanding educational and business opportunities for Black South Africans in the Transkei, and strategic career crafting, she became SA’s first indigenous black female CA in 1987 and a leading figure in the business world. Her individual battle for entry into the profession contributed to wider change for female accountants and for black women in business and helped promote black economic achievement. Nonkululeko overcame the challenges presented by professional, gendered and racist processes by proactively setting new career goals and working strategically to achieve career success. Since she qualified as a CA, the proportion of indigenous black South Africans CAs have risen from less than 1% of all CAs, to 14.8% in 2021. Nonkululeko’s career story illustrates not only how individuals can craft careers in certain contexts, but how they can work to change those contexts. Nonkululeko’s career provides a model of achievement for indigenous black accountants, who are underrepresented in the South African accounting profession.