Emalahleni — The Emalahleni Local Municipality in partnership with EST Sourcing and Maximum Profit Security awarded 10 people with bursaries to further their studies and plans are ongoing to award an additional 10 later in the year.
The award ceremony took place on 14 October 2025 at the Emalahleni Council Chamber. The initiative, valued at more than R1,2 million annually, forms part of a national bursary programme that has supported over 120 students across South Africa since its inception in 2021.
Emalahleni is one of the latest municipalities to benefit from this collaboration. EST Sourcing Chief Executive Officer, Renusha Ramdas, said the partnership reflects the companies’ commitment to education and sustainable development.
“We are very pleased to be here today to celebrate our students. MaxProf has been providing VAT and accounts payable services to municipalities for over 17 years and as part of its corporate social responsibility, it sets aside a percentage of profits to invest in the communities it serves. Through this partnership, we’ve been able to fund bursaries that change lives,” said Ramdas.
She added that this is the first year Emalahleni has participated in the programme and expressed hope that the initiative will continue annually. “We would like to be here every year to assist the students of Emalahleni. To our students, I urge you to work hard and make a success of this opportunity, but never forget to return to your community and make a difference,” she said.
The recipients are enrolled in fields such as engineering, logistics, public relations and computer science at institutions like Nkangala TVET College, University of Johannesburg, Nelson Mandela University and University of KwaZulu-Natal.
Executive Mayor Vusi Nhlapho said, “Our commitment as a municipality to support young people in achieving their academic goals remains intact. We understand that we cannot talk about sustainable economic growth if we do not take the youth seriously and invest in their education.”
Nhlapho noted that youth unemployment in the municipality stands at approximately 33%, emphasising the importance of collaborations between public and private sectors.
“We may not always have the financial capacity as a municipality to assist all our young people but through partnerships like this with MaxProf and EST Sourcing, we are able to give hope to deserving students. When we educate our youth, we are laying the foundation for service delivery, innovation and growth,“ he added.
Speaking on behalf of the bursary recipients, Innocentia Noxolo Nkosi expressed gratitude to the sponsors. “We would like to thank EST and MaxProf for providing us with this bursary so that we can study further. We promise to make you proud and bring back to our community what we have learned,” she said.
