Auditor-General of South Africa (AGSA)

The Auditor-General of South Africa (AGSA) is the country’s supreme audit institution, and the AGSA is the only institution that, by law, must audit and report on how government spends public funds. The AGSA audits national and provincial departments, municipalities and public entities, and its reports tell Parliament and the public where money has been well or badly managed.

Registered name

Auditor-General of South Africa (AGSA)

Type

Supreme audit institution

Fields funded

Accounting and auditing (chartered accountant track)

Website

agsa.co.za

The AGSA’s recent work

Auditor-General Tsakani Maluleke tabled the Consolidated Report on Local Government Audit Outcomes for 2024-25 on 24 June 2026 and briefed Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs on the findings. The AGSA also launched the AGSA–COGTA 10×10 Forum with the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Velenkosini Hlabisa, a partnership aimed at strengthening governance in municipalities.

For accounting students, that work shows what an AGSA career involves: auditing the organisations that deliver water, roads, clinics and schools, and reporting publicly on the results.

A large employer of accountants

The AGSA says more than 4 000 professionals work for the organisation, and the AGSA was certified as a 2026 Top Employer. The AGSA trains many of its own chartered accountants, and the bursary scheme feeds that training.

The 2027 AGSA bursary

The AGSA bursary for 2027 is open and closes on 15 October 2026. The AGSA accepts applications online only, so applicants should complete the online form rather than emailing or posting documents.

Researching the AGSA before applying

Read a summary of the AGSA’s latest local government audit outcomes report before an interview. Knowing terms such as clean audits, irregular expenditure and material findings, and being able to explain why they matter to communities, shows genuine interest in public sector auditing.

Ask the AGSA how the bursary links to its training programme, which offices take trainees and how many years bursars must serve. The AGSA’s website explains its trainee auditor scheme, which gives a picture of life after graduation.

Students who want both a CA qualification and a public service career should prioritise the AGSA; students who prefer private firms should also apply to audit firms with earlier deadlines.

Applicants should also note that the AGSA reports on audit outcomes for national and provincial government each year, not only municipalities, so trainees audit a wide range of public institutions during their training.

See our chartered accountant bursaries page for other training offices.