Bonitas CFO Vurhonga Rikhotso embodies rigorous governance, coupled with a passion for fresh approaches that push finance forward. A chartered accountant with 16 years of experience in audit across both public and private sectors, Vurhonga leads with discipline, humanity and a taste for bold ideas that make healthcare more accessible.
The first slide at all Bonitas meetings Vurhonga is involved in is the same: a financial snapshot that anchors every clinical and operational decision. For Vurhonga, this ritual isn’t about bureaucracy or red tape. It has become second nature to her.
“Financial sustainability is how we keep our promise to members. All decisions ultimately have that financial impact,” she says. While governance may provide a proverbial scaffolding that many could see as restrictive, Vurhonga sees it as a means to only build higher.
Vurhonga officially stepped into her role as CFO in February 2025, but she was no stranger to the organisation. She had served on the Bonitas board for two years, sitting on the audit and risk committee as well as the work and strategy committee.
“That gave me a strong foundation,” she explains. “I already understood the strategy, the numbers and the direction of travel. When I joined as CFO, it wasn’t entirely new. I could focus on execution from day one.”
Her baptism of fire came quickly: she took office in the middle of year-end and was responsible for signing off the financial statements. “It was intense,” she recalls, “but also a privilege to ensure that we upheld our reputation for strong governance. We achieved an unqualified audit opinion – and that was the best possible start.”
Grounded in audit, excelling in leadership
Vurhonga’s career was shaped by governance from the very beginning. A qualified chartered accountant, she started out at KPMG in 2008 before moving to the Auditor General of South Africa, where she spent over 11 years. There she rose from audit supervisor to audit manager, navigating some of the most complex, highly regulated environments in the country.
She later joined Transnet as a senior specialist in governance, risk and control, before making the move into healthcare. Her technical skill set spans financial reporting, risk management and strategic leadership, but it is her consistency on governance that sets her apart.
“Good governance is not a box-ticking exercise,” she says. “It’s how we safeguard sustainability. It’s how members know that tomorrow, when they need us most, we’ll be there.”
Her focus on people extends beyond clients and for Vurhonga, sustainability isn’t just about balance sheets. It is about the people behind them. “Every employee is first a human being before they are a team member,” she says. “If you treat people with humanity, leadership becomes easier. I want my team to challenge me, to be more technical than me, because my role is to be strategic and decisive.”
Her leadership philosophy reflects this and she explains that she deliberately surrounds herself with specialists who stretch her thinking. “I’d rather lead the smartest people in the room than be the smartest myself,” she says. “That’s how excellence happens.”
Though rooted in audit and governance, Vurhonga is not content with the status quo. She is passionate about shaping new ideas in finance and healthcare, particularly in areas where social change collides with financial realities.
Mental health is one such area. “We were among the first medical aids to include mental health benefits, such as covering antidepressants,” she explains. “Every month, we analyse claim trends, and mental health continues to be one of the biggest contributors. That’s why we don’t just focus on paying claims. We partner with corporates, engage HR executives, and run awareness sessions so employees can be better supported. Finance makes those interventions possible.”
This approach, which ties solvency to social impact, is where Vurhonga thrives. Innovation, for her, is not an ‘optional extra’ but an obligation. “Governance is the platform,” she says. “Excellence is what we do on top of it.”
Inspired by breaking the mould
This drive to excel, she insists, is personal. “My mom is my greatest inspiration,” she says without hesitation.
Her late father passed away two years ago, but her mother’s story remains a daily source of motivation. Starting as a nurse, her mother became a lecturer and eventually principal of the Giyani campus of Limpopo College of Nursing – Giyani CampusCollege. She championed access for disadvantaged students, helping many transform their lives. And at the age of 60, while raising three daughters, she graduated with a master’s in public administration.
“Watching her grow through the ranks and still study at 60 showed me that age, circumstance and expectation should never define your limits,” Vurhonga says. “That’s where my drive comes from.”
Her own journey mirrors that same spirit of breaking barriers: a woman excelling in finance, shaping governance at scale, and leading with empathy in one of South Africa’s most challenging sectors. As South Africa celebrated Women’s Month, Vurhonga reflected on the difference gender still makes in leadership. “Women are more than capable if given the opportunity,” she says. “The problem is that we often undersell ourselves. Men will apply for a job when they meet half the requirements. Women wait until they meet almost all of them. We need to remind ourselves that growth happens in the unknown – and it’s okay not to be perfect at the start.”
She also points to the way women lead: “We tend to want others to grow with us. For me, it’s never about just my career. It’s about creating space where others can thrive too.”
Beyond the boardroom
For all her professional focus, Vurhonga knows the importance of balance. She is deeply connected to her two younger sisters and her mother. “We lived together for 11 years, and we still talk every single day. That grounding keeps me balanced,” she says.
Outside work, she describes herself as a foodie, loves to travel and a lover of music. She once took up piano lessons – something she hopes to return to – and makes time for gym sessions during the week and park runs on Saturdays. “It’s good for my mental health,” she says. “And it balances out the foodie in me!”
Looking ahead, Vurhonga is energised by the unknown.
“Healthcare is evolving, regulation is shifting, and there are so many opportunities for growth,” she says. “I want to be part of shaping what comes next.”
And if there’s one principle she carries through every decision, it’s this: “Growth is uncomfortable. But if you’re no longer uncomfortable, it means you’re no longer growing.”
