BY Nkosazana Ngwadla
Lisa Nqala comes from a disadvantage background full of poverty and limited resources, but through determination, perseverance and work hard, today she is a trailblazing Accounting Academic.
Lisa lost her mother when she only seven years old in 1997, and she lost her grandmother who was her guardian a year later.
In 2008, she went through the trauma again when her father got sick and passed away, at the time she had just completed her matric and was looking for a university to study further.
“After Matric, I worked at the laundry as a laundry assistant and as a domestic worker for the laundry owners in Margate, KwaZulu-Natal. It was hard and I felt hopeless, watching my peers going to varsity. I used the money that I got from my job to phone the universities and request application forms and send them back to the universities.”
“I got accepted by three institutions, two for education and one for accounting so I decided to go with CPUT because I love accounting and auditing, I have always wanted to be an Auditor,” said Lisa.
Against all odds, Lisa obtained a Master of Internal Auditing, a Bachelor of Technology in Internal Auditing, a National Diploma in Internal Auditing and a Certificate in Accountacy all from Cape Peninsula University of Technology.
Lisa Nqala is a member of Institute of Internal Auditors South Africa (IIASA). She is currently a Lecturer at Boston City Campus and Business College, she is also a researcher and also work as an independent academic program reviewer for accounting and auditing-related qualifications.
“Growing up in disadvantaged rural areas made it difficult for me to adjust to university and a big city.”
“When I came to varsity, I did not even know how to use a computer. I struggled to communicate in English. I struggled with low self-esteem. Through all these things, I carried so much pain for so many years from my childhood trauma.”
“It took me time to finally open up about them. The other challenge I face is that it takes so much time for my skills and knowledge to be recognised. I often have to work harder than anyone else to prove that I am capable.”
“My wish is to study further to obtain a doctoral qualification and eventually become a rated professor in accounting.”
“I would also love to have a mentoring program that would cater to disadvantaged children’s needs,” concluded Lisa.
Image: LinkedIn
