Bushbuckridge Local Municipality

About Bushbuckridge Local Municipality

Bushbuckridge Local Municipality sits in the north-east of Mpumalanga, inside the Ehlanzeni District. It covers more than one million hectares, and part of the Kruger National Park falls within its borders. The area lies between Mbombela, Phalaborwa and Thaba Chweu. About 548,760 people live here, roughly a third of the district's population, and most stay in villages and rural settlements. The council has 38 wards and 76 councillors. Its main offices are on the R533 Graskop Road, opposite the Mapulaneng driving licence testing centre.

How the municipality supports students

Many households in the area have low incomes, so university fees are often out of reach. As a result, the municipality runs a yearly bursary programme for local students. Its purpose is to help young people from poor families study and then bring skills back to their communities. Earlier announcements described the scheme as meant for learners from low-income homes who live inside the municipal boundary.

The Bushbuckridge bursary targets scarce skills. The 2026 call listed fields such as accounting, agricultural studies, architecture, auditing, chemistry, communication, computer science, economics, engineering, financial management and law. Information technology, public management, quantity surveying, statistics, tourism management, town planning, and water and wastewater management also appeared. Youth development and other management studies were included too. Fields can change from year to year, so read the current call carefully.

What to know before applying

Applicants must be South African citizens under the age of 35. They must live within the Bushbuckridge area and be in matric or have completed it. They also need to study, or plan to study, in one of the approved fields at an accredited institution. Recent calls asked for proof that the family is indigent. Documents usually included a certified ID or birth certificate, certified matric results, proof of residence, and proof of household income, such as payslips, a pension slip or an affidavit.

Application forms are published on the municipal website and can be collected at the municipal offices. Deadlines usually fall in January. For the 2026 intake, the closing date was 24 January 2026, and late forms were not considered. Shortlisted candidates were told they would be contacted within a month of the closing date. Silence after that period normally means the application was unsuccessful.

The public call does not spell out the bursary amount or the exact costs covered. For that reason, ask the bursary office before you plan your budget. You can phone the municipality on 013 799 1851 or write to info@bushbuckridge.gov.za. Always use the latest form and dates, because they are reissued every year.