Polokwane Municipality awards 28 bursaries

Polokwane Municipality awarded bursaries for tertiary studies to 28 first year students during a ceremony that took place in the council chamber in the city on Friday. The successful students were selected from over 800 applications received.
The project is funded from Executive Mayor’s Mayoral Bursary Fund and an amount of R1,5 million is raised annually during the Mayoral Golf Cup Challenge and other initiatives like the Blue Bulls rugby matches and includes a sponsorship from Standard Bank.
At the awarding ceremony, Executive Mayor Thembi Nkadimeng said that the bursary scheme funded 129 students since its inception and that 49 of the bursary holders have as yet completed their studies. 38 bursary holders achieved 80%+ during 2016 and their funding will be continued for 2017.
“As a city we recognize the challenge that our communities face when the demand for skills can’t be met and unemployment persists because individuals don’t have the skills employers need. We have made a commitment to contribute towards closing this gap and help build a growing economy through required skills within our municipality. We have a mandate to ensure that this city continues to be the backbone of Limpopo,” Nkadimeng said.

Nkadimeng told the beneficiaries that education has the power to transform lives and build a foundation for a brighter future. Poverty can make it difficult to access quality further education and the Executive Mayor’s Bursary fund initiative gives access to learning opportunities to those members of communities who are finding it difficult to do so.
Nkadimeng assured the students that hard work and dedication are the pavers of a great future. “You have to be grateful to the community of Polokwane for investing in your future and the best that you can do is to ensure that you never let them down by focussing on other things other than your studies. With education we can never go wrong,” Nkadimeng said and concluded with an inspirational quote: “The roots of education are bitter, but the fruits are the sweetest”.
Nkadimeng thanked the sponsors and stakeholders and invited others to come forward and to contribute towards the project.

Story & photos: BARRY VILJOEN
>>barryv.observer@gmail.com

Featured photo: Polokwane Municipality Chief Whip Mamedupi Teffo, Executive Mayor Thembi Nkadimeng, bursary beneficiary Comfort Ledwaba and Emmanuel Manyage, Account Executive of Standard Bank at the awarding of the bursaries.