Assmang’s manganese division runs Black Rock Mine Operations (BRMO), about 80 km north-west of Kuruman in the Northern Cape. Alongside the two bursary schemes it funds through local municipalities, Black Rock advertises its own company bursaries for technical fields the mine needs. These are the ones covered on this page. Assmang is a joint venture between African Rainbow Minerals (ARM) and Assore, and ARM’s website hosts some Black Rock adverts.
Where Black Rock’s company bursary stands for 2027
On 2 October 2026 the bursaries section of Assmang’s careers website (assmang.ci.hr) listed no open bursary programme, and Assmang’s own corporate site was offline with an “under construction” notice. The most recent Black Rock bursary advert we could confirm on an official source is the one ARM published in July 2024, which closed on 31 July 2024. Assmang has not yet announced a round for the 2027 academic year.
What the 2024 Black Rock advert offered
The July 2024 advert, headed “Bursars at BRMO” and marked for external applicants, offered one bursary in each of three fields:
- Mechanical engineering (BTech, Advanced Diploma or BSc Engineering)
- Mine surveying (Bachelor of Mine Surveying or Advanced Diploma)
- Occupational hygiene (BTech or a bachelor’s degree in occupational hygiene)
The bursary paid tuition, accommodation, prescribed books and a laptop. The fields change from round to round because Black Rock advertises for the skills it is short of at the time, so treat this list as a guide to the mine’s style, not a promise for 2027.
Two routes in: matriculants and students already enrolled
Black Rock set separate rules for the two groups. Both had to be South African citizens aged 18 to 35.
- Matriculants needed a bachelor’s pass (university exemption) in the final Grade 12 exams. Black Rock preferred learners already accepted by a university for one of the advertised fields.
- University students had to be studying full time at a South African university or university of technology, in their second, third or fourth year of a degree, advanced diploma or BTech in an advertised field, with an average B symbol and passes in every subject.
Black Rock excluded anyone already funded by another bursary or financial aid scheme. It gave preference to applicants from disadvantaged backgrounds in the communities of the John Taolo Gaetsewe District Municipality, and to people living with disabilities.
Applying through assmang.ci.hr
Black Rock takes applications online, not by post or email. In 2024 applicants registered on Assmang’s careers website and uploaded:
- An up-to-date CV.
- The latest academic record plus records for completed years, or the Grade 12 report from the last November/December exams.
- Proof of current university registration, or proof of having completed matric.
- A certified copy of the South African ID.
- Official proof of residential address.
Shortlisted candidates faced an interview and a psychometric assessment and had to verify what their CVs claimed. Applicants who heard nothing within 21 days of the closing date were told to treat their application as unsuccessful. Registering a profile on assmang.ci.hr now means you can apply quickly when the next bursary appears in its bursaries tab.
Black Rock’s other bursary schemes
If you live near the mine, Black Rock also co-funds two municipal schemes with broader fields of study, from commerce and law to nursing and education. Residents of Kuruman and surrounding wards should read about the Assmang and Ga-Segonyana bursary, while youth from the Joe Morolong area apply to the Joe Morolong Assmang Bursary Scheme. Both run through the municipality, with their own forms and closing dates. For other mines that recruit in the Northern Cape, see the Kumba Iron Ore bursary and the overview of bursaries across ARM’s operations.
Can I apply for the Black Rock company bursary and a municipal Assmang bursary at the same time?
Assmang does not say so directly, but all three schemes exclude students who already hold a bursary, so you can only keep one award. Each scheme accepts applications separately.
Do I have to live in the Northern Cape?
Not for the company bursary. The 2024 advert was open to South African citizens generally, with preference for the John Taolo Gaetsewe district. The two municipal schemes, by contrast, require you to live in their municipality.