Basil Read (Pty) Ltd

Basil Leonard Read founded the company that carries his name in 1952. Two years earlier, in 1950, Basil Read and Chisolm Jack had formed a small civil engineering business called Jack and Read. Basil Read grew from that start into one of South Africa’s best-known construction and mining services groups, based in Boksburg, Gauteng.

Registered name

Basil Read (Pty) Ltd

Type

Private company (construction and mining services)

Fields funded

Construction, civil engineering and related fields

Website

basilread.co.za

A company with big milestones

Basil Read’s history page lists the high points. Basil Read listed on the JSE in 1987, concluded a landmark empowerment deal in 2005, reached a turnover of R5 billion in 2008, and topped the Sunday Times Top 100 Companies survey in both 2008 and 2009.

Basil Read’s website also acknowledges the difficult side of construction. Basil Read describes construction as a cyclical industry worldwide and says the company critically reviewed its business in 2014 to restore profitability. Later, Basil Read went through a business rescue process, and the company’s operations and scale have changed significantly since its peak.

What is known about the bursary

Basil Read has funded students in construction and engineering fields. According to BursariesAfrica’s research, the 2026 round closed on 31 August 2025, but Basil Read had not published a 2027 advert when BursariesAfrica checked. If Basil Read runs another round, a closing date around the end of August would match the last pattern.

Check the company’s current position first

Because Basil Read has been through restructuring, students should not rely on older adverts or on the company’s historical size. Before applying, look for recent news about Basil Read’s operations and contracts, and contact Basil Read directly to ask whether the company is recruiting bursars for the coming year, which fields it will fund and whether bursars will receive vacation work on active projects.

Ask as well whether any work-back period applies and how Basil Read would handle a bursary if its business changes during your studies. A reputable company will answer those questions openly.

Civil engineering and construction management students have many other funders, including consulting engineers, municipalities and SETAs. Apply to several of them in the same year, and treat any Basil Read offer as one option among several rather than the only plan.

The construction industry’s cycles also affect graduates. Students who research how firms like Basil Read have weathered downturns will understand why diverse experience, such as vacation work at more than one employer, strengthens a construction career.

Compare other construction funders on our Construction Bursaries page.