See full profile: Wapadrand Accountant - Gawie Grobler
Were you always planning to be an accountant and why?
No , I wanted to be a business man. When I did my articles I realised it gave me great joy helping business to be successful; a small part in their success.
When meeting with clients do they mostly come to your own premises or do you mostly go their theirs?
My clients come to my office
What is your preferred mode of communication with your clients?
Face to Face
Have you ever done an online video call with a client?
No
What do you love most about accounting?
Tax planning and to save people tax
Would you recommend accounting as a career for school-leavers, and why?
Yes, it is a good way of making a living and very rewarding.
What qualities should South African business people be looking for in their accountant?
Integrity, passion for people and a good knowledge of all the rules.
What is the biggest challenge facing accountants today?
Dealing with all the queries from SARS with the automatic review system. It is wasting a lot of time.
What aspects of accounting do you focus on most?
Personal attention on clients accounting work and how to better their business
Describe your average client:
Personal interaction with their accountant is very important. Medium size business. Professors, specialists and business. In the service industry
How far away from your premises is your furthest client?
Dubai, Cape Town, I am in Pretoria
From your accounting experience, if you could cite one of the biggest reasons SME's in SA fail, what would it be?
Cashflow and not and debts
What accounting software do you like best?
Sage One
What other software, online services or apps do you use?
Pastel, QuickBooks
Do you think the coming wave of automation in the next few years will steal some accounting jobs and why/why not?
No, it will only improve our work. An accounting program can't help you plan or replace experience.
What is your opinion on Bitcoin?
You will burn your fingers if you are greedy.
What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
Spending time with my kids and my friends
What is the most interesting thing on your bucket list?
We went to Namibia and drove a quad bike in the dessert.
See how our other local South African accountants have answered the above questions.
