Gobodo Incorporated -- one of the country's leading black accounting and auditing firm-- on Thursday announced it was merging with three other black accounting firms to form "a powerful trademark in the accounting industry".

The three companies are KMMT Brey, S Gouden & Company and Hansjee Patel and they will trade under the flag of Godobo Incorparated.

Management expect the merger to raise the firm annual turnover from 66 million to R100 million.

The new firm would be among the top ten accounting firms in South Africa with "quality" resources, infrastructure and respected leadership and personnel.

This will enable Gobodo to compete effectively in the marketplace, the company's new CEO Thabo Mosololi told a media briefing.

The merged company will comprise 26 partners and directors and a team of more than 300 personnel offering professional services in accounting, auditing, taxation, information technology (computer audit) and management consultancy.

In total, the partners are pulling a wealth of expertise and experience in excess of 50 years in the accounting practise.

According to Mosololi, varied skills, in-depth understanding of clients and markets needs and personalities of the partners and directors will enhance services to their clients in the public and private sector.

"The benefits of the merger are way beyond the notion of being the largest black accounting firm or to be among the top ten accounting firms, but to build a powerful trademark that will consult on a larger scale and service our current crop of clients and prospective clients in an efficient and professional manner," he added.

Gobodo's big clients include media groups, Times Media and BusinessDayFinancialMail (BDFM) as well as Transnet and Denel.

With acknowledgements to Sapa.