A Lifetime In Service
Few careers in South Africa’s modern history have traversed as many sectors, institutions, and moments of national consequence as that of Dr Sizwe Nxasana. From the transformation of the accounting profession to leadership roles in telecommunications, banking, and education, his career reflects a rare ability to build institutions, open pathways, and lead through periods of profound change.
This cover feature recognises Dr Nxasana as one of the Top 100 Timeless Career Legacies, not only for his professional achievements, but for the enduring impact of his leadership across industries that shape economic participation, governance, and opportunity. His journey illustrates how careers, when guided by purpose, ethical leadership, and long-term vision, can influence sectors far beyond their point of origin.
His Legacy Lifetime Award is bestowed not only in recognition of his grit, resilience and forward thinking as a trailblazer, but also as an acknowledgement of the tremendous and lasting impact he has had in all sectors where he has lent his talents as a leader.
Given that Nxasana is one of the luminaries of the accounting profession, it is strange to think that he initially had his sights set on an entirely different field: marketing.
It was only after meeting Wiseman Nkuhlu, South Africa’s first Black chartered accountant and a visiting professor at the University of Fort Hare (where Nxasana was studying), that he made the switch – most notably, as he said in an article appearing on charteredaccountantsworldwide.com, because there was only one Black Chartered Accountant in the country at the time, and the field was therefore certain to be flush with opportunity.
Nxasana never lost sight of his goal of opening the field for more aspirant professionals. His very first job was as an audit trainee at Unilever; from there, he gained experience and honed his skills at several firms before opening his own audit firm in 1989.
Sizwe and Co-Chartered Accountants stood out for several reasons: first and foremost, it was the only Black-owned audit firm in the country at the time. Added to this, it quickly amassed a sizeable clientele amongst the growing number of African professionals and business owners.
Most significantly, perhaps, it soon became a training platform for Black trainees, who struggled to secure articles at large firms. Almost 10 years after its establishment, Sizwe and Co had grown exponentially, with seven offices and a staff of around 300 individuals, including a large number of professional CAs and trainees.
By that time, Nxasana had already moved on to his next venture: the establishment of Nkonki Sizwe Ntsaluba. Founded in 1996, the firm still exists in the guise of SizweNtsalubaGobodgo (SNG Grant Thornton) and is recognised as the fifth largest audit firm in South Africa.
Nxasana switched focus in 1998, leaving accounting for telecommunications when he took up the role of CEO of Telkom SA. This transition is perhaps not surprising, given this explanation of his view of leadership in the Chartered Accountants Worldwide article: ‘After 10 years, it’s time to create opportunities for others to take a firm forward, and to create new challenges for yourself. It’s important, not only for your own personal growth, but for the development of the company.’
“Ethical leadership is doing the right thing even when it is uncomfortable or unpopular.”
His decision to step into an entirely new industry may, indeed, have been a new challenge, but Nxasana swiftly rose to the occasion, and the company went on to achieve enormous success under his guidance.
He led the organisation to its listing on the Johannesburg and New York Stock exchanges in 2003; a move which, according to Billionaires.africa, ‘democratised ownership and led to an impressive threefold increase in share price during his tenure’.
In 2005, Nxasana once again made a leap to another industry; this time joining the FirstRand Banking Group as CEO. As before, his time at the group was marked by enormous change. Amongst his accomplishments was the elimination of inefficiencies in staffing and structures, which he addressed through the implementation of advanced new technologies.
This move has seen him credited as having revolutionised the financial services sector. The group itself, meanwhile, benefited from outstanding growth, with its market capitalisation rising above R230 billion between 2010 and 2014.
Nxasana is now bringing the same force of focus and accent on transformation to the education sector, where he has founded the Sifiso Learning Group. Described as ‘a holistic education ecosystem’, the group encompasses Future Nation Schools, a teacher training unit called Nation NXT College and an early learning unit, iKamya Preschool, as well as Sifiso EdTech.
The group further undertakes activities like academic publishing, and has an arm dedicated to education-focused property development. Its goal is ‘to reimagine African education through accessibly, technology-enabled and Afrocentric learning, with project-based learning at its core to foster critical thinking, collaboration and real-world problem-solving’.
His influence can also be seen through the various trusts and foundations where he is involved: he is the co-founder and chairperson of both the National Education Collaboration Trust and the Ikusasa Student Financial Aid Programme.
Reflecting his interest in education, he qualified with a PhD in Education from the UNESCO PBL Centre in Denmark’s Aalborg University earlier this year.
With a slew of honours to his name, including doctorates from the University of Fort Hare, the Durban University of Technology, the University of Johannesburg, Walter Sisulu University and Unisa, he has maintained a humble outlook on his abilities as a leader and CEO.
As he told Chartered Accountants Worldwide, ‘Being a CEO is about articulating a vision, bringing talented people on board, and then empowering those people to work together to achieve that vision. So what I bring to any organisation is essentially that ability to work with people.’
Dr Sizwe Nxasana’s career demonstrates that leadership is not defined by the positions one holds, but by the institutions one strengthens and the pathways one leaves open for others.
Across sectors, his work reflects a consistent commitment to transformation, ethical governance, and long-term national development. This is not a career measured by titles alone, but by legacy.
