Golelo Trust Bursary 2027, Requirements & Application

Key facts

Status: Applications closed Closed 30 November 2021
Provider: Golelo Trust
Field of study: Mechanical Engineering
Study level: Undergraduate
Academic year: 2022
Last checked: September 2026

The last advertised cycle was for the 2022 academic year and closed on 30 November 2021.

Written by Keagan HendricksStaff Writer (Unisa Alumnus)

Reviewed & verified by Naledi KhumaloSenior Admissions and Bursaries EditorVerified

No open round · the last round we could find closed on 30 November 2021 Latest update ↓

The Golelo Trust was formed by SKF South Africa, the local arm of the Swedish bearings and industrial equipment manufacturer, in December 2016. Its purpose is to advance Black women in mechanical engineering by funding their studies at Gauteng universities and universities of technology.

About the Golelo Trust Bursary

The bursary was a comprehensive award for one academic year, renewable on academic performance. It covered:

Registration and tuition fees.
Textbooks.
Accommodation in a university residence.
A monthly cash allowance for meals, transport and other study-related expenses.

Golelo Trust Bursary eligibility requirements

South African citizen.
Black female student: African, Coloured or Indian.
Studying towards a mechanical engineering degree or diploma at a recognised university or university of technology in Gauteng.
Completed first year and entering second year or higher. First-year students were not eligible.
A strong academic record and demonstrated financial need.
Not receiving any other bursary at the same time.

Golelo Trust Bursary application process

There was no online portal. Applicants completed the Trust’s Annexure A form and submitted it with certified copies of their ID, Matric certificate and full academic transcript, plus proof of residential address such as a municipal or telephone account. Applications went by email to both golelo.trust@gmail.com and corle.grobler@skf.com, with the subject line “Golelo Trust Bursary Application”, or by post to Golelo Trust, PO Box 13157, Witfield, 1467.

Golelo Trust Bursary closing date

The last confirmed closing date was 30 November 2021. No 2027 closing date exists. If SKF reopens the Trust’s bursary we will update this page.

Contact details

Contact person: Corlé Grobler, SKF South Africa
Email: golelo.trust@gmail.com or corle.grobler@skf.com
Postal address: Golelo Trust, PO Box 13157, Witfield, 1467

Bursaries for women in engineering in 2027

Most large engineering employers reserve places for female students, and several programmes exist specifically for women. Start with our mechanical engineering bursaries list and the wider engineering bursaries directory, which include Sasol, Eskom, Transnet and Anglo American, all of which close between March and September of the year before study.

FAQs

1. Is the Golelo Trust bursary open for 2027? +

No new cycle has been advertised since the 2022 intake, which closed on 30 November 2021. Email golelo.trust@gmail.com to ask whether SKF plans a 2027 round before preparing an application.

2. Who could apply? +

Black (African, Coloured or Indian) South African women who had passed first year and were entering second year or later of a mechanical engineering degree or diploma at a university or university of technology in Gauteng, with a strong academic record and financial need.

3. What did the bursary cover? +

Registration, tuition, textbooks, residence accommodation and a monthly allowance for meals, transport and study expenses, for one year at a time and renewable on results.

4. Could I hold another bursary at the same time? +

No. Applicants could not receive other bursary funding while holding the Golelo award.

5. How were applications submitted? +

By email to both golelo.trust@gmail.com and corle.grobler@skf.com, or by post to PO Box 13157, Witfield, 1467, with the completed Annexure A form, certified ID, Matric certificate, full academic transcript and proof of address.

6. Which bursaries fund women in engineering now? +

Sasol, Eskom, Transnet, Anglo American and the SAIMechE and SAWomEng programmes all fund female engineering students. See our mechanical engineering bursaries list.

Update note (checked September 2026): the last advertised cycle was for the 2022 academic year and closed on 30 November 2021. No intake has been advertised since. The Trust has not announced that it is closed, so a future round is possible, but do not rely on it. The requirements below are from the last cycle.

This round is not open right now. Check the provider’s own site for the next round.

Visit the provider’s website

Student funding in numbers

2025811 011students funded by NSFAS580 000 at universities, 231 000 at TVET colleges, on a budget of R48.7 billion.

20261 026 091students approved for NSFAS funding609 403 first-year applicants qualified and 416 688 continuing students met the progression criteria, out of 893 847 applications.

2027 projectedR53.4bnbudgeted for NSFASThe allocation rises from R48.7 billion in 2025 to R51 billion in 2026 and R53.4 billion in 2027. Student numbers for 2027 are not published yet.

Figures from the Minister of Higher Education’s Budget Vote of 3 July 2025 and the NSFAS statement of 2 January 2026. NSFAS is the largest funder, not the only one – we track the rest.