In 2016, 507 complaints were opened at SAICA. Of these, 332 involved trainee accountants accused of improper conduct in relation to examinations. (185 cases have been finalised, leading to 16 individuals being disqualified from applying for membership for periods between 3-12 months. 145 cases are ongoing.)
A further 39 trainees in non-exam cases were brought to the attention of the PCC, leaving 138 complaints that were brought against members. Overall, as at December 2016, SAICA attended to 203 of the complaints opened in 2016: 130 cases were resolved through the PCC, a further 19 at the DC, 20 complaints were resolved outside of the committees, ten were complaints against persons misrepresenting themselves as SAICA members and 24 complaints involved persons holding both membership to SAICA and registration with the Independent Regulatory Board for Auditors (IRBA) and were referred to the IRBA to investigate as part of the agreed process between the two organisations.
In 2017, 229 complaints received against members and trainees were investigated. 109 were then cleared of any wrongdoing, 9 members were suspended for 6-12 months, 77 were fined, and two were excluded from SAICA membership. With regards to the remaining cases, members were either cautioned, reprimanded, or disqualified from applying for membership or associateship.
As of July 2018, 265 members are in the disciplinary process pipeline.