Imerys Refractory Minerals South Africa (Pty) Ltd

Imerys Refractory Minerals South Africa is the local operating arm of Imerys, a global specialty minerals group. Imerys Refractory Minerals South Africa mines and processes refractory raw materials, especially andalusite, at operations in Limpopo and Mpumalanga, and supplies the steel, cement, foundry and glass industries in South Africa and abroad.

Registered name

Imerys Refractory Minerals South Africa (Pty) Ltd

Type

Private company (refractory minerals mining and processing)

Fields funded

Chemistry, engineering, geology, metallurgy, environmental science and production-related fields

Website

imerys.com

About the sources for this page

Imerys’ website blocked BursariesAfrica’s research tools on 15 September 2026, so this page draws on a provider record checked in August 2026 and on BursariesAfrica’s earlier guide to the Imerys bursary. Readers should confirm details with Imerys directly.

What refractory minerals do

Refractory minerals withstand extreme heat, so industries use them to line furnaces, kilns and ladles. Andalusite, which Imerys mines in South Africa, becomes part of the heat-resistant bricks and linings that steelworks and cement plants depend on. Without refractories, the high-temperature processes behind steel and cement would not be possible.

Who the Imerys bursary serves first

Imerys funds its bursary to build scarce and critical skills for its mining and processing operations, in chemistry, engineering, geology, metallurgy, environmental science and production-related fields, while meeting transformation and community development commitments, according to the provider record.

The Imerys bursary sets a clear order of priority. Imerys directs awards first to employees and to the children and dependants of employees, and then to students from communities around its Limpopo operations, including Thabazimbi, Skierlik, Smashblock and Northam. A student from those communities, or from an Imerys employee’s family, stands the best chance.

How to research the Imerys bursary

Contact Imerys’ South African operations and ask whether a bursary will run for 2027, how the company confirms residence in the priority communities and which qualifications it funds. Students whose parents work at Imerys should ask the human resources office directly, since employees’ dependants come first.

Our Imerys guide has not been refreshed with 2027 dates. Students from Thabazimbi and Northam can also ask local municipal offices whether mining companies in the area are advertising bursaries.

Refractory products wear out and must be replaced, so demand for andalusite follows the health of the steel and cement industries. Reading about those industries helps applicants understand Imerys’ business cycle and the stability of careers in refractory minerals.

See our mining engineering bursaries page for more Limpopo mining funders.