VerifiedVery few South African bursaries are dedicated to logistics. In most cases logistics and supply chain management appear as one field inside a large corporate bursary that also funds engineering, accounting and IT. There are two exceptions: the transport SETA, which funds students directly, and a small group of transport and retail employers that reserve places specifically for logistics students.
TETA unemployed bursary
The Transport Education and Training Authority runs the largest logistics-specific bursary in the country, and students apply to it themselves rather than through an employer.
TETA publishes its entry criteria rather than a closing date, and advertises application windows when they open. To qualify you must:
- be a South African citizen;
- be between 18 and 35 years old;
- be currently unemployed;
- be studying at a public university, university of technology, TVET college or accredited flying school in South Africa;
- be studying towards a qualification at NQF level 6 or above;
- have passed the previous year with an overall average of at least 50%;
- have a total household income of less than R350 000 a year.
The qualifications it funds on the logistics side are: logistics management, supply chain management including warehouse, storage and distribution, transportation management, road transport management, transport economics, operations management and risk management. It also funds maritime and nautical studies, maritime law, marine engineering, aviation qualifications including the commercial pilot licence, and commercial diving.
TETA disqualifies an applicant who submits more than one application. Its rule is one application per qualification, and applying for two qualifications voids both. Missing documents also cause automatic disqualification. Criteria confirmed 23 September 2026 on the TETA unemployed bursaries page.
Bursaries dedicated to logistics
| Funder | What it funds | Closing |
|---|---|---|
| KN Inzuzo Trust | Black women studying logistics, transport economics, accounting or information systems | 18 October 2026 |
| Shoprite | Ten bursaries reserved for BCom logistics or supply chain management, BSc operational research or related diplomas | 31 May |
| Toyota Tsusho Africa | Supply chain, logistics and production assembly, from its Durban operations | 15 January |
| Barloworld Education Trust | The industrial group behind Caterpillar distribution, logistics and car rental | 31 July |
| SA International Maritime Institute | Shipping and logistics, maritime studies, marine engineering, port and harbour management | December |
| TraxWAGON | Young women from disadvantaged backgrounds training for technical careers in rail and logistics | Varies |
| Pindulo VDM | Run through its logistics academy, for young people entering the supply chain industry | Varies |
The KN Inzuzo Trust bursary is open now and closes on 18 October 2026, which makes it the most immediate application on this page.
Transport department bursaries
National and provincial transport departments fund the transport economists, logisticians and planners they employ, and bursars normally work for the department afterwards.
- National Department of Transport — funds UNISA students in transport economics, logistics and civil engineering, administered through UNISA’s student funding directorate. Closes 3 February.
- KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport — funds KZN residents as civil engineers, transport economists, planners and maritime and logistics specialists. Closes 15 February.
- Northern Cape Department of Transport, Safety and Liaison — funds transport engineering, logistics, traffic management and urban planning.
- Moses Kotane Institute — funds the KwaZulu-Natal maritime economy, including nautical science and logistics.
Corporate bursaries that include logistics
These fund logistics as one field among many. The competition is against applicants from every other field on the same list, so read each call to see how many places are actually allocated to logistics.
| Funder | Closing |
|---|---|
| Tiger Brands | 22 October |
| Volkswagen Group South Africa | 28 September |
| Wenosa | 31 August |
| Barloworld | 31 July |
| Bester Feed and Grain | 30 June |
| NAACAM | 8 March |
| Cipla | 17 February |
| TotalEnergies | Varies |
| Baker Hughes | Varies |
| Air Products | Varies |
| BEKA Schréder | Varies |
| Truworths | Varies |
| Samsung South Africa | Varies |
Transnet and state freight entities
Transnet is the state-owned freight logistics company covering rail, ports and pipelines. It funds students and runs structured workplace training, and its programmes are listed on our Transnet bursary and youth development page and the Transnet learnership page.
Qualifications funded
Funders use several different names, and a call that excludes your qualification by name may still fund it under another. The usual labels are:
- BCom Logistics and BCom Supply Chain Management, the most commonly named degrees.
- Transport Economics, the degree the transport departments and TETA name most often.
- Transportation Management and Road Transport Management, usually diplomas or B-Tech qualifications.
- Operations Management and Operational Research, which Shoprite and several manufacturers fund as logistics qualifications.
- Maritime and nautical studies, maritime law and port and harbour management, funded by TETA, SAIMI and the KwaZulu-Natal schemes.
- Freight forwarding and warehouse, storage and distribution, mostly at TVET and diploma level.
When to apply
| Period | Action |
|---|---|
| September – October | VWSA, Tiger Brands and the KN Inzuzo Trust close. KN Inzuzo closes 18 October 2026. |
| January – February | Toyota Tsusho, the national Department of Transport, KwaZulu-Natal Transport and Cipla close. |
| March – July | NAACAM, Bester and Barloworld close. |
| Any time | Watch the TETA site for its application window, since it publishes criteria rather than a fixed date. |
See also our commerce bursaries page, which covers the BCom stream that most logistics degrees sit inside, and government bursaries for the national and provincial transport schemes.