Who We Are
Ducharme is a company of highly qualified and experienced Chartered Accountants and subject matter experts that focus on improving the financial management and accounting function for Public Sector Entities. We help our clients put finance theory into practice.
PRACTICAL IMPLEMENTATION & CONSULTING SUPPORT: From a practical support focus, we assist entities to comply with and implement accounting frameworks (GRAP, IPSAS, Modified Cash), with preparation and implementation support in preparing budgets and annual financial statements, asset registers and accounting for value-added tax (VAT). We provide strategic financial management consulting support which includes legislative compliance, audit improvement, asset management, revenue & debt management, performance management, internal control, policy and standard operating procedures, corporate governance, risk management and supply chain management.
TECHNICAL AND TRAINING: Following a best practice approach focus, we focus on improving the ability of Public Sector entities and their staff to comply with the applicable financial legislation and best practice requirements through tailored and accredited capacity building sessions, technical implementation guides and training manuals as well as through knowledge sharing articles and publications.
E – SOLUTIONS & AUTOMATING OF REPORTING: Over the years, we have further aimed to assist Public Sector entities in bridging the gap between the theory requirements and the practical implementation, through the development of various e-solutions to assist these entities with the implementation of various automated financial management processes, allowing for more efficiencies and cost-savings. Our suite of Ducharme Dynamic e-solutions provides for digital and electronic solutions and support, which include mobile applications, stand-alone desktop solutions and online & cloud-based applications. The aim of these e-solutions is to allow for more effective and efficient ways of performing various accounting and financial management processes such as automation of financial & interim financial statements and reports; mobile asset verification instead of paper listings for verification; Automated VAT return completion and reporting, Revenue Management solutions improving the completeness and accuracy of revenue accounting and collection thereof and e-learning in support of focused and tailored training.
Our Mission
Ducharme is committed to, and is currently:
Providing value-added financial management and accounting training and consulting services to the Public Sector.
Utilising highly qualified and experienced facilitators and consultants to provide training and consulting services.
Encouraging and assisting public servants to focus on implementing standard finance operating procedures to improve the quality of Public Sector Financial Management.
Our Story
Meet our Leadership
George Esterhuizen MBA (Maastricht School of Management Netherlands)
George has strong technical and business experience with an impressive track record of more than 20 years of hands-on practice in strategic financial planning, budget planning/ monitoring, business unit development, project management, municipal property management, human settlement strategy development, municipal valuation management, and municipal geomatics management. He has extensive experience in private and municipal accounting & financial management and municipal housing development strategies.
He is key in the roll-out and first time implementation of accrual based IPSAS within Namibia. He was the initiator and implementer of the International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) at the City of Windhoek in 2015. He has since been instrumental in the IPSAS training support provided in Namibia which includes training support to Namibian Regional Authorities as issued by the Namibian Ministry of Urban and Rural Development and NIPAM. He has extensive local public accounting and finance experience. He previously served at the City of Windhoek Municipality where he held Top Management Positions such as Strategic Executive: Housing, Property Management and Human Settlement and Strategic Executive: Finance.
Luyanda Mbekeni B.Com (Hons) – Management Accounting, B. Compt (Hons); CTA; CA (SA) and Programme in Project Management
Luyanda is a qualified Chartered Accountant – CA (SA) who has been involved in the accounting and auditing sector since 1989. He has extensive experience in private and public sector consulting. He has consulted with the Auditor General for various audit engagements and also held the position of a Financial Management Specialist – DDG at the Eastern Cape Provincial Planning and Treasury. He is also an academic at heart, once being a tutor and subsequently part-time lecturer at the former Border Technikon and University of Transkei (now Walter Sisulu University). He has a wealth of experience and knowledge of the Public Sector and will play a vital role in further enhancing Ducharme as a leading public sector consulting firm.
Francois Conradie B. Compt (Hons); CA (SA)
Francois is a qualified Chartered Accountant with vast experience in public sector accounting and financial management support. He started his professional career in 1992 at the office of the Auditor General in the Cape Town and was one of the founding members of Ducharme in 2003.
He has extensive national and international public sector experience and knowledge to provide practical application support and solutions based on the legislative frameworks (IPSAS / GRAP / GAMAP). He is the managing director for the consulting arm of Ducharme. He holds a post-graduate degree in Accounting (B. Compt (Hons)) and is a South African Chartered Accountant and member of the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA).
George Ducharme B.Acc (Hons); CA (SA)
George Ducharme is the chairman of the Ducharme Group of companies and managing director of the Ducharme Training Institute. In 1993, he commenced with his articles and in 1997 started as a full time academic, teaching financial accounting to students at a post-graduate level in preparation for the qualifying exam for South African chartered accountants. His last position was Professor and subject head of Financial Accounting at the University of the Western Cape (UWC). He became a Professor at the age of 30. During his tenure at the UWC his students obtained a pass rate better than those of their peers, studying at other universities, in the qualifying exam for chartered accountants.
Following this academic exposure and extensive research on public sector accrual accounting, he sought to bring practically focused accounting and financial management implementation support to the public sector. This resulted in the founding of Ducharme in 2003.
He holds a post-graduate degree in Accounting and is a South African Chartered Accountant and member of the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA). During his tenure as an academic George was the co-author of 3 accounting textbooks and a number of research articles in accredited accounting journals.