South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA)

The South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA) is the professional body that trains, develops and regulates chartered accountants in South Africa. SAICA sets the standards CA(SA) candidates must meet, accredits university programmes that lead to the designation, and represents the profession nationally and internationally.

Registered name

South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA)

Type

Professional body (chartered accountancy)

Fields funded

BCom Accounting in the CA stream (Thuthuka Bursary Fund)

Website

saica.org.za

Phone

08610 72422

A history that starts in 1652

SAICA traces local accounting to Frederick Verburgh, who arrived at the Cape with Jan van Riebeeck in 1652 as bookkeeper for the Dutch East India Company. The discovery of diamonds and gold and the founding of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange in 1887 created demand for accountants and auditors. The first representative bodies followed: the Institute of Accountants and Auditors in the South African Republic in 1894 and the South African Committee of the Society of Accountants in the Cape in 1896.

The Chartered Accountants Designation (Private) Act of 1927 allowed members of the four provincial societies to use the title CA(SA). SAICA itself was founded in 1980, and it acknowledges that apartheid laws, such as the Extension of University Education Act of 1960, shaped who could enter the profession.

SAICA today

SAICA provides members with continuing professional development, forums, committees and technical updates. In June 2026 SAICA launched the SAICA Trainee Collective and a “50 Years of Impact” campaign, commemorating the youth of 1976. SAICA and the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) will co-host the 2028 World Congress of Accountants in Cape Town.

The Thuthuka Bursary Fund

SAICA created the Thuthuka Bursary Fund in 2005 to address the shortage of black African and coloured chartered accountants, recognising that money rather than talent kept many capable students out of the profession. Thuthuka pays full tuition, textbooks, meals and accommodation for BCom Accounting in the CA stream at participating universities, and adds academic, psychosocial and life-skills support and mentoring. Because SAICA is a professional body, Thuthuka bursars are not bound to work for a specific firm.

Applicants need strong Grade 11 and Grade 12 results in Mathematics and English and must fall within the fund’s household income limits. Applications for 2027 closed on 31 August 2026, and the 2028 round normally opens from about April.

How to research SAICA

Read about the CA(SA) route, which includes a degree, a postgraduate year, a training contract and professional exams, before choosing the CA stream. Ask your school whether Thuthuka runs camps or learner programmes nearby.

See our chartered accountant bursaries list.