East London Industrial Development Zone SOC Ltd (ELIDZ)

The East London Industrial Development Zone (ELIDZ) is a state-owned company established in 2002 under South Africa’s Industrial Development Zones programme, now the Special Economic Zones programme. The ELIDZ describes itself as a greenfield development turning more than 400 hectares of land into a world-class industrial location in East London.

Registered name

East London Industrial Development Zone SOC Ltd (ELIDZ)

Type

State-owned special economic zone (Eastern Cape)

Fields funded

Undergraduate study in selected STEM fields

Website

elidz.co.za

Owners and purpose

The Eastern Cape provincial government, through the Department of Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism, and Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality own the ELIDZ, according to a provider record checked in August 2026. The ELIDZ develops industrial infrastructure, attracts investors and encourages companies in the zone to build links with the wider Eastern Cape economy.

The ELIDZ also runs a Science and Technology Park to encourage innovation in zone-based industries. Investors describe what the zone makes possible; one quoted on the ELIDZ website says the ELIDZ and the Eastern Cape helped establish an 11 000 square metre facility to support a major customer in East London.

The ELIDZ bursary

The ELIDZ bursary supports students from the Eastern Cape in undergraduate study in selected science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields, to build skills that industries in the zone need. The provider record states that the ELIDZ funds bursaries in partnership with the Mathematics, Science and Technology (MST) Skills Development Foundation, which targets technically capable matriculants from disadvantaged townships and villages.

Our ELIDZ bursary page has not yet been refreshed with 2027 dates, so treat its details as background.

Community investment done carefully

The ELIDZ’s corporate social investment page explains a practical safeguard. Once the ELIDZ approves a community project, the ELIDZ runs the procurement itself and hands approved items directly to the beneficiary organisation, which ensures resources are used only for their intended purpose.

How to research the ELIDZ bursary

Contact the ELIDZ to ask whether a 2027 bursary round will open, which STEM fields it covers and whether applications go through the MST Skills Development Foundation. Learn about the manufacturers operating in the zone, especially automotive component makers, because a motivation that links your field to those industries shows why the ELIDZ should fund you.

East London’s automotive industry, anchored by vehicle manufacturing in the city, gives STEM graduates from the ELIDZ region a local industry to join.

See our Eastern Cape Government Bursaries page for related funders.