Finance had a very vibrant year end function with the theme -“Rainbow Garden” on 14 November 2025 and I want to reflect on what that means for us — not just in fashion, but in spirit.

 A garden thrives because of diversity — every plant plays its part. Some bloom brightly, others hold the soil together, some provide shade, and some quietly grow deep roots. That’s exactly what our Finance Division has done this year. Each of you — from accountants to procurement, systems, payroll, budgeting, Projects & Grants, Subject Matter Experts and student finance — has added your unique colour to this garden we call our university.

Together, you’ve kept the institution financially strong and accountable, ensuring that our students can learn, our researchers can innovate, and our community can grow.

In a time when higher education faces severe financial pressures and rising expectations for transparency, our role as financial stewards has never been more important. We are not just managing budgets and reporting on financial results; we are helping to safeguard the university’s future.

This year wasn’t without its weeds — SUNFin, SUNStudent, Jiras, late nights, weekends, budgets, financial statements, audits and moving out of our offices for the renovation and working in temporary offices. But every challenge we faced became an opportunity to grow stronger roots.

And look at what we’ve achieved:

• We closed the 2024 financial year with major student fee and SUNFin challenges to ensure an unqualified audit.
• We all worked hard to stabilise SUNFin and SUNStudent -  systems and processes that will serve the university for years to come.
• We continuously worked on improved service delivery to departments and students.
• And most importantly, we did this together as a unified team, with professionalism, and importantly - care for each other and our stakeholders.

Looking ahead to 2026, including our next round of a Finance Quality Assurance, our priorities will continue to focus on:

•        Enhancing financial sustainability and long-term planning.

•        Supporting strategic initiatives that strengthen our academic and research excellence.

•        Continuing to stabilise and enhance our financial systems (SUNFin and SUNStudent) for greater efficiency.

•        Investing in our people — through training, collaboration, and a culture embedded in the SU values of Excellence, Compassion, Accountability, Respect and Equity. 

Your contributions often happen behind the scenes, but they are absolutely essential to everything we do as an institution.

A special thank you also to our Directors and team leads — your leadership has been the sunshine that keeps this garden growing.

To our new staff members — welcome, and thank you for bringing fresh energy and colour.

And to our long-serving colleagues — your experience is our deep root system, anchoring everything we do.

As we move into the new year, let’s carry this rainbow spirit forward:

• The red of passion for excellence.
• The orange of creativity and innovation.
• The yellow of optimism and joy.
• The green of growth and renewal.
• The blue of calm and trust.
• The purple of wisdom and integrity.

Together, we’ve shown that finance isn’t just about numbers — it’s about people, purpose, and progress.

So, as we close this year, let’s celebrate our successes, learn from our challenges, and take a moment to appreciate one another. Because just like a rainbow, our strength lies in our diversity  and our beauty shines brightest when we come together.

Thank you for your hard work and your dedication. Let’s continue to grow our rainbow garden — with pride, unity, and joy. I wish you all a restful break, a joyful holiday season, and continued success in the new year.

Manie Lombard