63 bursaries awarded to local students
The awarding of the bursaries represents a significant investment in creating a skills pipeline to turn South Africa into a constructive site.

Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Dean Macpherson, accompanied by Gauteng MEC for Basic Education Matome Chiloane and MEC for Human Settlements and Infrastructure Development Jacob Mamabolo handed over 63 bursaries to students in the building environment sector on January 17.
At the bursary awarding ceremony, Macpherson stated that the awarding of the bursaries represents a significant investment in creating a skills pipeline to turn South Africa into a constructive site.
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Macpherson said the ceremony was not just about awarding bursaries to students pursuing studies in the building environment. Still, it sends a powerful message to South Africans across the country that they are building the human foundation necessary for continued infrastructure investment in our nation.
“Today, we celebrate possibility and progress, honouring exceptional young South Africans who will play a critical role in building the future of our country.
“These students will soon become qualified engineers, quantity surveyors, architects, and electricians, creating a vital skills pipeline that will help South Africa become a construction site for decades to come.

“This will drive economic growth and create thousands of jobs our department’s core mission,” he said.
Macpherson added that through the skills represented at the award ceremony, they are laying a foundation for meaningful change in urban and rural communities and making a significant investment in building a better South Africa.
“The bursary recipients we celebrate today are no strangers to us. Many of these students come from schools with strong mathematics and physics programmes, identified, monitored, and mentored over several years through our Schools Programme.
While these schools were identified before my appointment, I am pleased to announce that I have expanded the reach of this bursary programme to include more schools, ensuring every South African with an interest in studying in the building environment can access this opportunity,” explained Macpherson.
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He further stated that previously, bursary holders were not required to return to the department or remain in South Africa after completing their studies.
This resulted in the loss of valuable skills that could have benefited the nation. They are changing this to ensure value for money in this programme.
“Recipients will now be required to work for the department or one of its entities for two years.
“This policy shift will help us retain and develop a pool of talented professionals, strengthening the department’s institutional capacity to deliver on its mandate.
Our bursary policy prioritises students from Quintiles one to three schools, focusing on supporting underprivileged communities.
“While this approach has successfully addressed socioeconomic barriers, we recognise the importance of ensuring future cohorts reflect South Africa’s full diversity,” he said.
He said moving forward, they will refine their selection criteria to balance socio-economic considerations with broader demographic representation, ensuring this scheme truly represents the nation’s diversity and potential.