Success is the true measure of patience, dedication and hard work, a quality that only a few ever live up to, setting them apart from the rest.

Second-time receiver of a cum laude and Dean’s Merit award for academic excellence, Joanna Moonsamy, has clearly defied the odds stacked against her yet again.
The Internal Auditing BTech student who graduated at 9am on Wednesday (22 April 2015), however still maintains the news of her cum laude and Dean’s Merit Award came as a shock to her. “I did not expect these results. I was shocked when I learned the news. I am what I am because of God, my dad and my boyfriend. All the hard work, late night studying, words of encouragement and sacrifice paid off. I am extremely happy and proud of myself to be receiving this award,” said Moonsamy.

Moonsamy’s research topic was entitled: The elements that influence fraud, a subject she was keen on doing because “more and more organisations are concerned about the occurrence of fraud. It is everywhere and no one sees it or people know about it and do nothing about it because of their positions or the money they receive from the fraudulent activities,” she explained.

Her research concluded that the elements of opportunity, rationalisation and pressure influence fraud because in order for the crime to take place, all three elements must be present. To break that cycle, internal controls must be employed, so said Moonsamy’s research.

Patience is evidently one of her strong points, and the above mentioned findings were discovered over a course of several months. “It was very time consuming because of the amount of research I had to do plus I had other subjects to focus on. It took approximately 10 months to finish,” she said.

The aspiring certified internal auditor hopes her study will assist employees and managers to identify the elements that influence fraud in its early stages in order to prevent and detect it which will ultimately affect the company’s overall performance.

Her message to aspiring students keen to embark on a career as hers is, “No matter what, you must always trust and put God first in everything you do. William A. Ward says, ‘Study while others are sleeping. Work while others are loafing. Prepare while others are playing and dream while others are wishing’,” she said.

Pictured: Internal Auditing BTech student, Joanna Moonsamy, is a second-time receiver of a cum laude and Dean’s Merit award for academic excellence.

– Thobele Nzama