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The City of Cape Town governs one of South Africa’s largest and most economically important metros, delivering water, electricity, roads, housing, transport and other services to millions of residents. The City also runs services that help residents learn: SmartCape gives free access to computers and the internet, and City libraries offer digital literacy training.
- Registered name
- City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality
- Type
- Local government (metropolitan municipality)
- Fields funded
- Engineering, accounting and auditing, data science, IT, law, environmental management and planning
- Website
- capetown.gov.za
- Phone
- 021 400 1111
An external bursary for scarce skills
The City of Cape Town runs an external bursary for residents studying the scarce skills a metro needs. The fields include engineering, accounting and auditing, data science, IT, law, environmental management and planning. Unlike many municipal bursaries, the City’s bursary pays fees from undergraduate right through to doctoral level.
The City asks graduates to work one year at the City for each year of funding. For a bursar, that service period provides first professional experience in a large organisation, whether in water engineering, municipal finance, legal services or city planning.
The application calendar
The City of Cape Town advertises its bursary in July each year. The 2027 round closed on 17 August 2026, and the City will tell successful applicants by 15 January 2027. BursariesAfrica expects the 2028 round to open in July 2027 and close in mid-August 2027. Late applications are not accepted.
Researching the City before applying
The City of Cape Town publishes plans and reports that show where it needs skills, from water resilience after the drought years to public transport and safety. Read the City’s integrated development plan and link your field to a real City priority in your motivation.
Residents without internet access at home can use SmartCape computers at City libraries to research and complete online applications, and library staff can help with basic digital skills.
Before applying, confirm that you meet the residency requirement, check the current list of funded fields and ask how the City places bursars during their work-back years. Contact the City through its official email address or call centre, and apply only through capetown.gov.za.
Because the City’s decisions arrive in January, apply to other funders in the same year so you have a fallback.
Cape Town students can explore more municipal and provincial funding on our Government Bursaries page.
🎓 Download Our Bursary Application Checklist
Download our free Application Checklist to make sure you do not miss any required documents. Submitting a complete application is key to being shortlisted.
📥 Download Checklist (PDF)
