Coenie Middel, serial entrepreneur, and founder of one of the largest private accounting practices in the country, with eight branches and more than 170 staff, sees opportunities aplenty coming out of the lockdown. For example, the ability to leverage the weak rand to spread your wings abroad and take on finance and consulting work and get paid in US dollars.

Ettean Smit, founder of accounting practice Finovo, realised his fellow accountants were stuck in the stone age when it came to technology. He formed Smart Practice, a low-cost way for accountants to embrace technology in their practices, and what came out of this was astounding.

Lehana Nel grew up in Limpopo on a strawberries and cattle farm. She moved to Namibia when she met her husband 9 years ago. Since 2013, she started her practice in Gobabis, near the Botswana border. She might be in a remote part of Africa, but technology lies at the core of her accounting practice.

Yugen Pillay of SNG Grant Thornton has spent his life mentoring small businesses. While many will fail, many more will be born out of this COVID-19 crisis.

Fintech companies such as Bridgement can do what no bank can – give you a yes or no answer in 90 minutes, and then deposit cash in your account. CEO Daniel Goldberg explains how this works.

The COVID-19 lockdown is the best time in years to upgrade your skills as an accountant, and the resources being made available online make this a no-brainer, says Ebrahim Boomgaard, director of research and planning at the Financial and Accounting Services Sector Education Training Authority (Fasset).