COMMUNITY
NOT DONE WITH PUBLIC SERVICE After 40 years as the eThekwini Municipality CFO, Krish Kumar is retiring. However, he doesn’t intend to stop being a servant for the public, as he plans to train young professionals during his retirement. Caylynne Fourie asked Krish about his retirement plans.
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rish Kumar is set to retire as the CFO of eThekwini Municipality after 40 years with the city, 24 of which were spent in his current role. He says that retirement will give him the opportunity to spend quality time with his family after a difficult year.
“The Covid-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on me and my family. I lost my brother-in-law and my brother,” he explains. “I also tested positive and had to be quarantined when my brother passed away. This made me introspect and gave me a fresh perspective.” Krish hopes to spend more time with his wife, Annie, two children, Alisha and Nikhla, and one grandson, Aryan. “I am a 24/7 person,” he says. “I have gotten on the wrong side of my family at times. I had to make a lot of sacrifices. I regret not attending sports days, awards days and plays. I also had to go back to work the day after my wedding and couldn’t go on our honeymoon.” However, he says that spirituality keeps the family and himself focused. “My family is vegetarian and we belong to the Divine Life of South Africa. I got the blessing of Swami Sahajananda to accept the post of CFO, and over the years I have learnt to strike a better balance between work and family life.”
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CFO MAGAZINE • CFO.CO.ZA
Krish said he would not be leaving his post immediately but would stay until a suitable replacement was found, to ensure there was a smooth transition.
Highlights of being the eThekwini CFO Krish joined the municipality straight out of matric as a trainee accountant and worked his way through the ranks to CFO. Looking back, he says there have been several highlights. He was appointed by the President of South Africa as a commissioner on the Financial and Fiscal Commission from 2009 to 2013, which involved providing input and advice with regard to the national budget, and interacting with parliament and sectors of government. He was also appointed by the Minister of Finance as a member of the Accounting Standards Board for two terms, which included working on the generally recognised accounting practices (GRAP) standards and ensuring that municipalities were practically ready to implement them. “It also afforded me the opportunity to work closely with the late Auditor-General Kimi Makwetu,” Krish says. Krish served as president of Chartered Institute of Government Finance, Auditing and Risk Officers
