PROMISE SONTO MADIDA
Project Accountant
Paulshof
Summary
I am a committed and experienced accountant, boasting over 20 years of specialized project accounting expertise; with a solid educational foundation. I possess a Diploma in Finance and Accounting, complemented by a Higher Certificate in Bookkeeping. My dedication to continuous professional development is evident as I recently completed a National Certificate in Organizational Education Training and Development, with a focus on Facilitation, Assessment, Coaching, and Mentoring. Currently, I am in the final stages of achieving a Bachelor of Accounting Science in Taxation, with an anticipated completion of June 2025. My academic pursuits underscore my proficiency and dedication to the field of accounting.
Overview
23
23
years of professional experience
Work History
Finance Manager-Part Time
Institute for the Advancement of Journalism (IAJ)
10.2021 - Current
- Timely financial reporting to management, board, and donors
- Process all transactions on SAGE X3 with accurate projects allocation per cost centre
- Monitored project performance, managing burn rates to minimize variances and ensuring adherence to foreign currency reporting standards
- Conduct cash forecasting and manage fund disbursements in line with project implementation plans
- Manage grant funding requirement per agreement in line with policy
- Develop budgets for projects, operations, proposals, and tenders, aligning with strategic financial goals
- Facilitate smooth project closures, ensuring no loses and proper accountability
- Process monthly bank and balance sheet reconciliations, including staff accounts, to maintain financial integrity
- Process monthly payroll for staff and interns, ensuring accuracy and compliance
- Vigilantly ensured compliance with all relevant stakeholders, including donors, CIPC, and quality assurance bodies like QCTO and MICT SETA
- Tax Compliance: Ensure timely processing and submission of VAT returns and income tax returns in accordance with tax legislation
- Financial Software: SAGE One Accounting and Pastel Payroll
- Prepared monthly reconciliation of bank accounts and took corrective actions on deviations.
- Strengthened internal controls through regular audits and adherence to regulatory requirements.
- Negotiated favorable terms with vendors, resulting in significant cost savings for the company.
- Enhanced budget management by implementing expense tracking and cost reduction strategies.
- Processed invoices and contacted appropriate parties for timely payment receipt.
Program Accountant
Amref Health Africa
08.2017 - 09.2021
- Company Overview: NPO
- Financial reporting for projects in SA and Mozambique projects to Head of Finance, Head of Programs and relevant project leads
- Review and enhance current financial procedures and reporting to streamline operations in Southern Africa field offices (South Africa and Mozambique)
- Provide leadership and guidance to financial staff, ensuring they are trained and equipped to manage financial operations effectively
- Ensure internal control adherence in line with policy and donor requirements
- Process transactions allocation according to each donor and cost center in the ledger
- Monitor, track project burn rate is in line with budget plans if variance provide analysis and guidance on meeting targets
- Process payments via online system, ensure adequate supporting documents aligns with payment procedures incl foreign currency-timely avoiding interest and less forex loss
- Donor reporting in various foreign currencies ie
- USD, EURO, GBP etc
- Sub grant management- on site capacity building, ensure compliance with donor requirements
- Ensure subgrants management and adherence to donor requirements - disbursements and reporting of CBO’s (in Limpopo & KZN) in SA, Inhambane and Beira in Mozambique
- Preparation of monthly management reports for projects and organization i.e P&L etc
- Interledger accounts and balance sheet accounts monthly reconciliations
- Monthly LOE allocations per projects accordingly
- Monthly Payroll processing of all local staff incl timesheet allocation cost
- Legislations compliance: ensure AR are submitted timeously for CIPC, Income Tax
- Monthly Vat returns and EMP201
- Audits- Prepare audit files for internal, external and project audits
- Preparation of donor financial reports (USD, EURO, GBP etc) and call down request as specified in the respective grant agreements
- Update fixed asset register and verifications
- Chronological filing of all finance documents
- Financial Software: Sun systems, ERP, Navision, Pastel Payroll
- NPO
- Reason for leaving: Amref closed operations in South Africa during Covid 19
Grants Accountant
Wits Health Consortium
03.2017 - 07.2017
- Ensure adherence to the financial policies and procedures of Wits Health Consortium
- Effective compliance with donor requirements
- Effective review and approval of general ledger entries and journal entries
- Reconciliation of balance sheet accounts
- Prepare grants analysis schedule-working document
- Provide financial leadership/guidance to the Grants team
- Compile accurate and comprehensive donor financial report
- Intercompany/Inter projects accounts reconciliations
- Budget preparation and management
- Prepare invoice for call down request per grant agreements
- Prepare weekly report on cash balance management
- Prepare and review audit files: annual, internal and project audits
- Key contact project personnel for donors and researchers
- Frequent meetings with Principal Researchers
- Provide in-depth financial analysis on each project
- Liaison with all relevant stakeholders
- Statutory returns and reconciliations: VAT, withholding tax and income tax returns
- Financial Software: Sage X3 and SAGE Evolution
Joint Venture Accountant/Accountant
SSI Engineers/Royal Haskoning DHV South Africa (Pty) ltd
01.2012 - 02.2017
- General ledger processing of all Joint Venture companies
- Monthly journals processing: Depreciation, Accruals
- Debtor’s ledger-Process invoices reconcile and follow up on unpaid issued invoices
- Creditors ledger-Process and reconcile monthly
- Clear the suspense and account on a weekly basis
- Timesheet verification on the reporting system
- Audits: assist with audits files
- Reconciliations: Inter-company accounts, banks, staff accounts and payroll accounts, balance sheet accounts
- Compiling joint venture financial reports
- Statutory returns and reconciliations: VAT, withholding tax + Foreign Tax legislation
- Assist Group Finance Manager and Principal Engineers with ad hoc tasks and projects
- Financial Software: Navision, ABW and SAGE Evolution
- Reason for Leaving: Retrenchments caused a lot of uncertainty, was seeking job security
Project Accountant
African Medical and Research Foundation, South Africa
01.2007 - 12.2011
- Company Overview: NPO
- Prepare timely and accurate donors financial reports
- Prepare timely financial reports in foreign currencies to various donors (Reporting to CDC, EU, USAID, DFID)
- Provide monthly performance to project leads to minimize variances
- Process projects transaction on Sun systems per cost center
- Creditors and staff ledger-reconciliation
- Provide training and support to sub grantee, ensuring grant compliance
- Short-term action plans and expenditure scheduling
- Process Bank reconciliation for all bank accounts, Staff accounts
- Prepare audit files: annual, internal and project audits
- Payroll processing |Payroll benefits administration |Schedules and payments
- Reconcile SUN Accounting System with Pastel Payroll
- Statutory Returns: VAT/PAYE/SDL and SARS E-filing
- Maintain fixed assets register, labelling and depreciation
- Financial Software: Sun Systems, Vision and Pastel Payroll
- NPO
- Reason for Leaving: Career growth: Wanted to gain Corporate Sector experience
Finance Officer
National Community Radio Forum (NCRF)
04.2002 - 12.2006
- Company Overview: NPO
- Cashbook processing to Trial Balance using Pastel Accounting
- Reconciliations: Bank account, Accounts payable, Accounts receivable
- Payments processing through Nedbank EFT and cheques
- Debtors – Raise invoices to members and Donors
- Petty cash handling
- Co-ordinate logistics for conferences and workshops
- Payroll processing, using Pastel Payroll
- Statutory returns reconciliations and submission
- I.e
- EMP201 and vat201
- Prepare monthly financial reports to the CEO, quarterly to the Board
- Manage two staff members
- Reporting to: Chief Executive Officer
- Financial Software: Pastel Payroll and Pastel Accounting
- NPO
- Reason for Leaving: Career growth: Accepted a more senior role
Education
Bachelor of Science - Taxation
University of South Africa
Pretoria, South Africa 06.2024 - Current
Some College (No Degree) - Occupationally directed Education, Training and Development Practices
VeryCoolIdeas
Johannesburg 11.2024 - 11.2024
Some College (No Degree) - Finance and Accounting
Birnam Business College
Johannesburg 12.2024 - 12.2005
Higher Certificate - Bookkeeping
Damelin Management School
Braamfontein, Johannesburg 11.2024 - 12.2001
High School Diploma -
Sesiyabonga High School
Osizweni, Newcastle 12.2024 - 12.1996
Skills
- Excellent communication skills
- Strong analytical skills
- Critical thinking
- Detail oriented skill
- Honesty and integrity
- Ability to maintain confidentiality
- Great team player
- Timely financial reporting
- Process transactions on SAGE X3
- Monitored project performance
- Managing burn rates
- Conduct cash forecasting
- Manage fund disbursements
- Manage grant funding requirements
- Develop budgets
- Facilitate project closures
- Process monthly bank reconciliations
- Process monthly payroll
- Ensure compliance with stakeholders
- Tax Compliance
- Financial Software: SAGE One Accounting
- Financial Software: Pastel Payroll
Cash flow management
Financial analysis
Careerchronology
- Finance Manager, Institute for the Advancement of Journalism (IAJ)-NPO, 10/21, Present
- Program Accountant, Amref Health Africa-NPO, 08/17, 09/21
- Grants Accountant, Wits Health Consortium, 03/17, 07/17
- Joint Venture Accountant/Accountant, SSI Engineers t/a Royal Haskoning DHV South Africa (Pty) ltd, 01/12, 02/17
- Projects Accountant, Amref Health Africa-NPO, 01/07, 12/11
- Finance Officer, National Community Radio Forum (NCRF)-NPO, 04/02, 12/06
Additional Qualifications
- 2005, Project Management Training, Umhlaba Development Services – Braamfontein
- 2006/7, Pastel accounting/payroll and yearend processing
- 2007, Minute Taking, Siyanqoba Seminars – Rosebank
- 2010, SunSystems & Info Q&A, Ilanga Systems – Nairobi-Kenya
- 2011, BEE for Fundraising, Pretoria High Performance Centre
- 2012, Vision accounting
- 2015, Foreign Tax legislation, Vat and Withholding Tax
- 2016, Agresso Business World -multi-currency software
- 2018, Job evaluation facilitated by Deloitte Kenya
- 2020, Management Orientation workshop-Harare-Zimbabwe
Timeline
Some College (No Degree) - Finance and Accounting
Birnam Business College
12.2024 - 12.2005
High School Diploma -
Sesiyabonga High School
12.2024 - 12.1996
Some College (No Degree) - Occupationally directed Education, Training and Development Practices
VeryCoolIdeas
11.2024 - 11.2024
Higher Certificate - Bookkeeping
Damelin Management School
11.2024 - 12.2001
Bachelor of Science - Taxation
University of South Africa
06.2024 - Current
Finance Manager-Part Time
Institute for the Advancement of Journalism (IAJ)
10.2021 - Current
Program Accountant
Amref Health Africa
08.2017 - 09.2021
Grants Accountant
Wits Health Consortium
03.2017 - 07.2017
Joint Venture Accountant/Accountant
SSI Engineers/Royal Haskoning DHV South Africa (Pty) ltd
01.2012 - 02.2017
Project Accountant
African Medical and Research Foundation, South Africa
01.2007 - 12.2011
Finance Officer
National Community Radio Forum (NCRF)
04.2002 - 12.2006
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