24 September was declared as a Public Holiday in South Africa after we became a democracy in 1994. The day was first observed in 1996.

What does Heritage Day mean to us?

Heritage Day is a day we as South Africans are encouraged to celebrate and remember our various South African cultures and our heritage. This to be done with the diversity of our beliefs and traditions in mind, in our beloved nation that belongs to all its people.

Heritage is the most precious thing we have. It gives us a unique identity; it is what defines us and our values. Preserving our heritage is our duty and responsibility. Heritage Day provides us with an opportunity to be mindful of where we come from, handed down from generation to generation, where our traditions of the past are respected and embraced. We must honour our heritage to leave something precious and intangible behind for our generations to come.

As the internal auditing (IA) profession continues to evolve and become more diverse, the advancement of women in IA has become a major focus. However, despite the progress made, a lot still needs to be done to address issues of underrepresentation and the gender gaps existing within the various roles across the IA profession.

The 2015 Global Internal Audit Common Body of Knowledge (CBOK) Practitioner Survey reveals that women make up a large portion of the internal audit profession around the world. Nevertheless, women are faced with considerable challenges as they circumnavigate through their careers in internal auditing. CBOK is the world’s most thorough and rolling study of the internal audit profession. It also analyses the makeup of the internal audit profession and incorporates the studies of internal audit practitioners and their stakeholders. During the 2015 CBOK survey, more than 5,400 women took part in roundtable discussions and responses to questionnaires. This represents 38% of total responses.