A practical, self-paced course for the bookkeeper who keeps the books of a retail, hospitality or restaurant business in South Africa.
High transaction volumes. Cash and card takings that must be reconciled every single day. Stock that moves and spoils. Card settlements that reach the bank two days late. Payroll on shifts, and VAT rules that differ from an ordinary trading business. This sector trips up bookkeepers who treat it like any other client.
This course works through the full bookkeeping cycle for the sector, with worked South African examples in every chapter and an answer you can reveal and check for every question.
Who it is for
Bookkeepers, employed or in practice, who keep the books of retail stores, restaurants, cafes, takeaways, guesthouses or hotels. It assumes you are comfortable with basic double-entry and a trial balance. It assumes nothing about the sector.
What you will be able to do
- ✔ Handle the daily cash-up: Z-reports, cash-up sheets and the card settlement clearing account.
- ✔ Recognise income correctly, including deposits, unearned income and delivery-platform commission.
- ✔ Cost and value stock, and account for wastage, staff meals and complimentaries.
- ✔ Apply the sector’s VAT, payroll and labour rules, and keep the records SARS and the labour law require.
- ✔ Produce financial statements and run the internal controls that protect a cash-intensive business.
What is inside
- ✔ Fourteen chapters covering the full bookkeeping cycle, adapted to retail, hospitality and restaurants.
- ✔ A Test Your Understanding section in every chapter, with a click-to-reveal answer for each question.
- ✔ Worked South African examples throughout, with a running Sunshine Guesthouse and Restaurant case.
- ✔ Self-paced and online, around 17.5 hours in total, worth 10 CPD units in Accounting.
- ✔ Built for a working bookkeeper at NQF 5, apply-and-calculate level.
Course contents
Part A · Foundations
| # | Chapter | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction to Industry Bookkeeping | 75 min |
| 2 | Source Documents, Stock Management and Records | 75 min |
| 3 | The Chart of Accounts | 90 min |
| 4 | Double-Entry Bookkeeping | 75 min |
Part B · Income, expenses and stock
| # | Chapter | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Income Recognition and Cash Management | 90 min |
| 6 | Expenses and Cost Classification | 60 min |
| 7 | Inventory Management | 75 min |
Part C · Working capital and assets
| # | Chapter | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | Cash Flow and Working Capital Management | 75 min |
| 9 | Debtors, Creditors and Credit Management | 75 min |
| 10 | Fixed Assets and Depreciation | 75 min |
Part D · Compliance and reporting
| # | Chapter | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | VAT in the South African Context | 75 min |
| 12 | Payroll and Labour Compliance | 75 min |
| 13 | Financial Statements | 60 min |
| 14 | Internal Controls and Ethics | 75 min |
Total: approximately 17 hours 30 minutes · 10 CPD units in Accounting.
How it works
- ✔ Self-paced and online, on the CIBA learning platform.
- ✔ One chapter every day or two works well; spacing it over about two weeks helps it stick.
- ✔ A Test Your Understanding section after each chapter, with reveal-answer feedback.
- ✔ Pitched at NQF 5, apply and calculate, for a working bookkeeper.
- ✔ Earns 10 CPD units in the Accounting category.
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