Thebe Foundation Dr EJ Mabuza

About the Thebe Foundation

The Thebe Foundation is the corporate social investment arm of Thebe Investment Corporation. It was set up as an independent trust in February 2011. Its work focuses mainly on education, as well as enterprise and supplier development. The Dr EJ Mabuza Scholarship Fund sits within its higher education programme. The fund was formed in 2016. It honours Dr Enos Mabuza, who helped to establish Thebe Investment Corporation together with Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu and Beyers Naude. As a result, the scholarship carries a strong link to community upliftment and to the idea of giving back. The programme hopes that recipients will become ambassadors of the scheme, stay connected to their communities and contribute to wider society.

How the Thebe Foundation supports students

The scholarship supports financially needy students at higher education institutions. Funding is available for undergraduate and postgraduate study, from diplomas to Masters degrees. Recent fields include accounting, agriculture, artisan skills programmes, corporate finance, finance and ICT. They also include electrical engineering, mining engineering, renewable energy, water and energy, media and communication, and education with a focus on mathematics and technology.

Support goes well beyond fees. The award covers tuition, textbooks, meals, and accommodation in residence or accredited housing. Students who live at home receive a transport allowance. In addition, the foundation runs an annual career summit where students meet alumni, mentors and Thebe executives. It also offers work readiness training and academic and psychosocial support, including entrepreneurship training for graduates from universities and TVET colleges, because money problems are rarely the only barrier to graduating.

What to know before applying

Recent criteria were quite specific. Applicants had to be South African citizens from a Black designated group under B-BBEE. They also had to be under 35, unemployed and in or past Matric, with an average of at least 60%. Household income needed to be below R600,000 a year, and students could not have outstanding student debt. Furthermore, applicants could not receive other bursary funding, including NSFAS, and had to study full time at a registered public institution.

Applications run through an online portal. For the 2027 academic year, the window opened on 1 September 2026 and closed on 22 September 2026. That is only three weeks, so early preparation is important. Prepare your academic records, ID and proof of household income in advance.

Fields, limits and dates can change from year to year. Any service obligation after graduation was not confirmed, so read the official conditions before you accept an award. Students who miss one round should watch for the next call on the foundation's higher education page.