Ndlambe Municipality Registration Fee Bursary

Written by Keagan HendricksStaff Writer (Unisa Alumnus)

Reviewed & verified by Naledi KhumaloSenior Admissions and Bursaries EditorVerified

Ndlambe Local Municipality, which covers Port Alfred, Kenton-on-Sea, Bathurst, Boesmansriviermond and nearby towns in the Sarah Baartman district of the Eastern Cape, pays the registration fee for residents starting or continuing studies at a university, university of technology or TVET college. The municipality calls it the External Mayoral Bursary. It pays for registration only: tuition, residence and books are not included. The fee is paid straight to the institution, and a student has to apply again every year.

One payment, straight to the institution

Ndlambe’s Mayor’s External Bursary Policy, re-published on the municipality’s website in March 2026, states twice that the bursary covers only the registration fee. Payment goes to the university, university of technology or TVET college once the municipality receives the institution’s invoice or account. How many students are funded each year depends on the budget council approves annually. Recipients sign an agreement with the municipality, may not change their approved course, and can lose the award at the municipality’s discretion if their academic progress is unsatisfactory.

Because registration is often the first large bill a student faces, this award is most useful alongside another source of funding. A student who qualifies for NSFAS or another bursary for tuition can use the municipality’s payment to get registered. Recipients must tell Ndlambe about any other bursary they receive, and the application form warns that the municipality may withdraw its award if the student is funded elsewhere.

Fields the Mayoral Bursary Committee prefers

The policy lists these preferred fields:

• Civil Engineering
• Agricultural Engineering
• Electrical Engineering
• Regional and Town Planning
• Tourism
• Medicine
• Law

The December 2024 bursary notice added Environmental Health to that list. Both documents also allow any other field the committee believes would lift the area’s socio-economic development. The committee is made up of the Mayor, the Municipal Manager and the Director: Corporate Services. It chooses recipients from a master list compiled by the HR section, names standby candidates in case someone declines, and may weigh the different parts of the municipality when choosing. Students with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

Who is excluded

According to the policy and the notes on the application form, the bursary is only for ordinary residents of Ndlambe. It excludes:

• applicants who are not South African
• employed learners
• senior students who failed the previous year
• qualifications that are not accredited on the NQF or N levels

What the last notice asked for

The most recent call on the municipality’s website is Notice 257/2024, dated 10 December 2024, which funded registration for the 2025 academic year. It asked for:

1. the application form
2. certified copies of the applicant’s ID and Matric certificate
3. proof of residence in the Ndlambe municipal area
4. the latest academic record, for students already studying
5. certified ID copies of parents or guardians and proof of indigent status
6. an acceptance or provisional acceptance letter from the institution
7. proof of household income

Completed forms went to the Human Resource Unit at the Civic Centre, 01 Causeway Road, Port Alfred (postal address PO Box 13, Port Alfred 6170). The closing date was Friday 24 January 2025. Only successful applicants are told the outcome, in writing. The two-page application form asks for details of the qualification, its NQF level and year of study. It also includes a declaration authorising Ndlambe to receive the student’s progress reports and results from the institution. The municipality’s switchboard is (046) 604 5500.

No call yet for 2026 or 2027 on the website

By 27 September 2026 the municipality had not posted a bursary notice for the 2026 academic year or for 2027 on its website. The policy says bursaries are advertised each year in the local newspaper, on municipal notice boards and on other public platforms. The 2024 notice appeared in Talk of the Town, on the notice boards and on the website. Past calls have come out in December and closed in late January, so residents should check the notice boards and local paper from December, as well as the notices page.

For wider options in the province, see the Eastern Cape government bursaries. Students heading for engineering can look through the civil engineering bursaries list.

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