What’s News? Your Content Goes Here Root Cause Analysis – The Root of Many Evils With the advent of ISQM1, ISQM2, and the revised ISA 220, the term, ‘root cause analysis’, has surfaced as a requirement when encountering failures in audit engagements, and within the audit quality management system. During inspections, the IRBA also assists firms with the determination of root causes. It is one of the most important aspects of the quality management system and, therefore, deserves detailed attention. Why do I say that? It is one of the few opportunities for engagement partners, quality leaders and [...]

What’s News? Your Content Goes Here As 2026 gets underway, the audit profession in South Africa continues to experience high expectations, scrutiny, and an environment that is evolving more rapidly than many firms would like. Several clear trends are shaping how audit firms need to adapt this year. Audit quality is no longer a project Audit quality remains firmly in the spotlight, particularly through IRBA inspections, investigation of complaints, and the successful issue of fines, with or without disciplinary hearings. Firms that do not embed audit quality in their leadership culture, and do not apply the appropriate resources [...]