Bakubung Platinum Mine (BPM) is the underground platinum project of Wesizwe Platinum, near Ledig outside Rustenburg in North West. Wesizwe lists bursaries among its skills development programmes, describing them as support for top-performing, needy students to study at South African universities. BPM advertises the bursary itself, as an opening on Wesizwe’s vacancies page, and aims it mainly at matriculants from the communities around the mine.
BPM’s last bursary call and the 2027 picture
BPM’s most recent bursary round ran in two stages. The first advert, titled “Bursary 2024 Advert”, closed on 11 October 2024, and BPM re-advertised it with a closing date of 3 February 2025. On 2 October 2026 the Wesizwe vacancies page said “We currently have no job openings”, and Wesizwe had published no bursary notice for the 2027 academic year.
Study fields in BPM’s re-advertised call
- Mining and rock engineering
- Engineering
- Health and safety
- Nursing
- Human resources
- Procurement
- Legal
A bursary for young matriculants with strong maths and science
BPM pitched the bursary at “promising young matriculants” who need money to study. Its minimum requirements were tighter than many mine bursaries:
- A Grade 12 certificate with English, Mathematics and Physical Science each at level 5 (60% or more). Mid-year results were considered provisionally for learners still in matric.
- South African citizenship and an age of 18 to 24.
- A university acceptance letter and the intention to study full time in South Africa.
- No criminal record, and the ability to obtain a medical fitness certificate.
BPM gave preference to applicants living within 50 km of the mine, so learners from Ledig and the surrounding villages stand the best chance.
What a BPM bursar gets, and what BPM does not promise
BPM’s advert described the programme in terms of experience rather than rand amounts: vacation work with on-the-job training in your field, coaching and mentoring, exposure to the mine’s operations, and the chance to apply for BPM positions after graduating. The advert did not itemise which study costs the bursary pays. It also stated plainly that BPM is not obliged to offer permanent employment when you finish.
Hand-delivered applications at the mine gate
For the re-advertised round, BPM wanted hard copies, not email. Applicants placed a CV, proof of residence and certified copies of their ID, qualifications and academic record (all certified within the last three months) in a locked steel box at the Bakubung Platinum Mine main gate security offices, and signed the submission register. Anyone not contacted within 21 days of the closing date should consider the application unsuccessful. BPM’s earlier 2024 advert took applications through an online form on Wesizwe’s site, so check which submission method the next BPM advert asks for.
Other platinum-belt funding
Rustenburg-area students should also look at the Implats bursary, which funds mining and engineering fields on a fixed annual deadline, and the sector-wide MQA bursary. Our engineering bursaries list has more options while BPM is quiet.