VerifiedSantam Limited is South Africa’s leading general insurer, with a market share of about 24%. Santam was founded in 1918, is headquartered in Cape Town and listed on the JSE in 1964, with secondary listings on the Namibian Stock Exchange and A2X. Sanlam, the financial services group, holds 62.3% of Santam’s shares.
- Registered name
- Santam Limited
- Type
- Listed company (general insurance, Sanlam subsidiary)
- Fields funded
- Actuarial science, data science, underwriting, risk management, finance, engineering, mathematics and agriculture
- Website
- santam.co.za
- Phone
- 011 403 1632 (StudyTrust)
What a general insurer does
General, or short-term, insurance protects cars, homes, businesses, farms and other assets against events such as accidents, theft, fire, floods and liability claims. Santam provides personal, commercial and corporate insurance in South Africa, Namibia and selected emerging markets through brokers, direct channels and partnerships. Santam’s vision is to narrow the risk protection gap through proactive risk management and inclusive insurance.
Why insurers need specialist skills
Pricing risk accurately depends on actuaries, data scientists and underwriters, while climate change is making floods, storms and fires more costly to insure. Those actuarial, underwriting, data and risk skills are chronically short in South Africa’s insurance market, according to a provider record checked in August 2026. Santam also insures agriculture, which explains why agriculture appears among its funded fields.
Life at Santam
Santam describes a culture built on empathy, partnership, continuous improvement and doing the right thing, which it calls “the Santam way”. Santam has been a certified Top Employer for eight consecutive years, and says more than 95% of its people work remotely. Santam’s employees receive recognition points through its Applause programme, wellness support, financial coaching and access to psychosocial and legal advice.
The Santam bursary
Santam’s bursary funds students in actuarial science, data science, underwriting, risk management, finance, engineering, mathematics and agriculture. The programme runs partly with StudyTrust and targets students entering second, third or final year, or honours and postgraduate diplomas, generally with an average of at least 65%. BursariesAfrica’s older guide describes applications between May and September, closing around 30 September, but has not been refreshed with verified 2027 details.
How to research Santam
Read Santam’s interim results for the first half of 2026 to understand the business, and learn how insurers respond to climate-related catastrophes. Contact StudyTrust to confirm whether the Santam bursary is open for 2027 and which fields it covers.
See the INSETA bursary for the insurance sector’s SETA.
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