Mtema Mashao Consulting Engineers

About Mtema Mashao Consulting Engineers

Mtema Mashao Consulting Engineers is a South African consulting engineering firm founded in 2002. Its head office is at 14 Henshall Street in Nelspruit, and it also works from Tzaneen and Pretoria. The firm describes itself as a company of professional engineers and project managers. Most of its work is in Mpumalanga and Limpopo, often for public bodies such as municipalities and provincial departments.

Its services include project management, structural engineering, road engineering, municipal engineering, and water and wastewater engineering. The firm also carries out geotechnical investigations. In other words, its projects touch everyday infrastructure such as roads, bridges, water supply and sanitation, which communities rely on. Water and road projects in particular are a daily need in the rural and peri-urban areas where the firm is active.

How the firm supports students

The Mtema Mashao Bursary Scheme was created to help future employees. By paying for studies, the firm hopes to build skills and education within the engineering sector. Smaller consulting practices often struggle to compete with large national firms for young engineers, so growing its own talent is a practical answer to that problem.

The bursary is aimed at students who want a career in engineering. Published information says it covers tuition fees, prescribed textbooks, accommodation and meals. Bursars may also be asked to do vacation work in the June and December holidays, which gives them real experience on engineering projects before they qualify. Students who work on live projects during these breaks also learn how site teams, municipalities and clients cooperate.

What to know before applying

Published listings say applicants should be South African citizens, aged roughly 18 to 26, with a good academic record. A minimum average of a C symbol is mentioned. Preference goes to students who show financial need and who meet the admission requirements of their chosen university or university of technology. Applicants are usually asked for a motivation, academic records and proof of financial need.

The firm's own materials describe the scheme as an investment in future staff. Some listings state that graduates must work for the firm for at least as long as it funded them. However, the exact work-back terms are not clear from every source, so confirm them directly with Mtema Mashao before you accept an award. Deadlines also differ by year. An annual closing date at the end of October has been reported, but you should check the current date with the firm. If you want to study civil, structural or water engineering and live or study in Mpumalanga or Limpopo, this bursary deserves a close look. It combines funding with a likely route into a working engineering practice.