Vodacom (Pty) Ltd (Vodacom Group)

Vodacom describes itself as a leading, purpose-led African connectivity, digital and financial services company. From its roots in South Africa, the Vodacom Group has grown to include operations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Mozambique and Tanzania, and together with Safaricom serves 230 million customers.

Registered name

Vodacom (Pty) Ltd (Vodacom Group)

Type

Listed company (connectivity, digital and financial services)

Fields funded

Science, technology, engineering and mathematics

Website

vodacom.co.za

From 1994 to a continental group

Vodacom launched in South Africa in 1994, alongside MTN, as one of the country’s first two mobile networks. Vodacom Group is listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, and the UK-based Vodafone Group is its majority shareholder. Vodacom’s investments in Safaricom, the Kenyan operator behind M-Pesa, and in Vodafone Egypt have made it a major player in African mobile money as well as connectivity.

More than a mobile network

Vodacom now offers fibre and fixed connectivity, cloud and security services for businesses, digital platforms and financial services such as payments, insurance and lending through its VodaPay and M-Pesa products. Vodacom also owns Mezzanine, a Stellenbosch company building digital solutions for health, agriculture and education. Running that infrastructure requires network engineers, software developers, data scientists, cybersecurity specialists and fintech experts.

The Vodacom Bursary Programme

Vodacom’s merit-based Bursary Programme funds South African students in STEM fields early in their studies, so Vodacom can build graduates who already understand its technology and ways of working. BursariesAfrica’s earlier guide describes cover for full university accommodation or a capped private accommodation amount, registration and tuition fees, a textbook allowance, meals, and a laptop and cellphone, together with orientation, vacation work, work-readiness training and access to a wellness programme.

That guide lists requirements of South African citizenship by birth, full-time undergraduate study, at least 70% in Grade 12 with an exemption, and at least 65% at university. Vodacom does not lock bursars into a fixed work-back contract; graduates become strong candidates for Vodacom’s Graduate Development Programme, depending on available roles, according to a provider record checked in August 2026.

BursariesAfrica’s Vodacom guide has not been refreshed with verified 2027 dates.

How to research Vodacom

Read Vodacom Group’s integrated report to understand its financial services strategy, and check Vodacom’s careers site for the bursary and graduate programme. Learn how M-Pesa changed banking in Kenya.

Bursars who are comfortable with both engineering and business will fit Vodacom well, because many of its newest products combine network technology with banking and retail.

See the Mezzanine bursary at Vodacom’s software subsidiary.