Overview

Every week, tax practices lose billable hours to the same work: responding to verification requests, corresponding with SARS, handling objections and requests for reasons, and sorting client records that arrive in no particular order.

Most practitioners already have generative AI on their desks. The harder part is knowing how to brief it well enough to produce work worth reviewing, then checking that work without giving back the time saved.

Rather than cover the method in theory, we will work through a complete case study. We start with a fictitious company, its supporting records and a SARS verification letter received through eFiling. We finish with a reviewed response that is ready for submission. Attendees will receive the AI skill used in the demonstration, which was built for South African tax practice. We will also give a brief look under the hood. The skill turns a loose request into a properly briefed one without asking the practitioner to manage the mechanics.

We will run the demonstration twice. In the junior version, the skill explains what a verification request means, why each document belongs in the response pack and what the reviewing senior will check. It drafts the response while explaining the work, so trainees can keep developing their judgement. In the senior version, the same skill produces the work product, deadline table and review checklist. The checklist looks for four ways AI can get South African tax law wrong: invented authority, positions superseded by amendments, law imported from other jurisdictions, and unsettled issues presented as settled. The practitioner still reviews and signs the final response.

The session includes 90 minutes of content and 30 minutes of open discussion. Niel Malan, an engineer, will explain what an AI skill is, how these systems succeed and fail, and how to verify their output. Nestene Botha CA(SA), a chartered accountant who specialises in the adoption of AI technologies in accounting and tax practices, will cover what this means inside a practice: review capacity, trainee development, client data and the economics of compliance work.

This session is for practices as well as individual practitioners. It does not recommend a product or endorse a vendor. The approach applies to whichever generative AI platform a practice already uses, and professional judgement remains with the practitioner throughout.

Webinar Content

• Part 1: Where the hours go: the work a compliance practice can hand to AI, and the work it should always keep with the practitioner.
• Part 2: What a skill is: a brief look at good instruction, and why it is built into the skill instead of taught as a separate method.
• Part 3: The case study, junior seat: a SARS verification letter explained, supported with evidence and drafted, while the skill coaches rather than replaces the trainee.
• Part 4: The case study, senior seat: the faster route from letter to reviewed response pack, with deadlines calculated and diarised.
• Part 5: Trust, then verify: the four ways AI can get South African tax law wrong, and the review that makes its output safe to rely on.
• Part 6: Practice guardrails: client confidentiality, limits on authority, and what stays with the practitioner.
• Q&A and open discussion (30 minutes)

Competencies Developed

By the end of the session, attendees should be able to:

• Identify AI-suitable compliance work and distinguish tasks that can be delegated to AI from those requiring professional judgement.
• Structure effective AI instructions to produce relevant, practice-ready outputs from unstructured client information.
• Interpret SARS verification requests and identify the supporting documentation and evidence required for a complete response.
• Use AI to draft compliance responses while maintaining appropriate practitioner oversight and review.
• Apply AI in both junior and senior workflows, using it for trainee development, work-product preparation, deadline management and review.
• Verify AI-generated tax content by identifying invented authority, outdated legislation, foreign law and unsettled tax positions presented as established law.
• Evaluate AI-generated work critically using a structured review and verification process before submission to SARS.
• Apply appropriate practice guardrails relating to client confidentiality, data handling, professional responsibility and the limits of AI.
• Assess the impact of AI on practice efficiency, including review capacity, trainee development and the economics of compliance work.
• Integrate AI into existing practice workflows without replacing professional judgement or accountability.

Presenters

Niël Malan

As Chief A.I. Officer at Tangent Solutions and co-founder of Jurumani Solutions, I empower businesses to thrive in a dynamic digital world. With over 15 years of experience across cloud computing, telecommunications, and emerging technologies, I specialize in helping organizations apply AI-driven solutions to unlock new value, scale smarter, and innovate faster.

My journey spans from architecting cloud-first strategies to now spearheading the adoption of artificial intelligence and automation across industries. I am passionate about bridging the gap between groundbreaking technologies and real-world business outcomes — ensuring that innovation translates into measurable impact.

Certified by AWS and trained through MIT Sloan’s executive programs, I bring both strategic vision and hands-on expertise to each challenge. My mission is clear: enable organizations to lead, adapt, and win in the AI era.

Let’s shape the future — one transformative solution at a time.

Nestene Botha

Nestene Botha is a registered Chartered Accountant and the Academic Programme Leader for the BCom Accounting Programme at Mancosa. With a Masters Degree in Auditing Education, she has worked with approximately 10 higher education institutions globally and is deeply passionate about education. Nestene has a keen interest in Artificial Intelligence and its applications in the accounting profession, integrating AI and technology into her lectures and research. She is recognized as one of the top 35 under 35 Chartered Accountants in South Africa by SAICA and one of the top 50 women in accounting worldwide by Practice Ignition. Additionally, she is a co-founder of Explore ProTech, an entrepreneurial haven with the vision of saving the global economy - one small business at a time.

CPD

Attending this webinar and the successful completion of the online assessment will secure a certificate of completion for 2 hours of Tax CPD.

Event Investment

Free for Tax Technician, Tax Practitioner, Tax Accountant CPD subscribers and Practice Packages. Not a CPD subscriber yet? Click here to register now.

• Regular price:  R460.00
• Group booking discounts available when you register for a group.

Payments & Cancellations

• All payments must be made by EFT or by credit card, at least 3 working days before commencement of an event.
• Kindly note that should payment not be received 2 days after the event, legal action will be taken
• Proof of payment will be requested at registration, if payment does not reflect on Tax Faculty's bank account.
• Cancellations:
  • Only written notice of cancellation will be recognized.
  • If the cancellation occurs more than 4 working days prior to the event no cancellation fee will be charged.
  • If the cancellation occurs less than 4 working days prior to the event a 100% cancellation fee will apply.
• Delegates who book and fail to attend will be liable for the full event fee.
• Tax Faculty`s liability in the case of an event being cancelled will be limited to a refund or credit of the event fee.
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