Education and training

A new boarding school will assist rural children.

85 students are studying in Russia.

The opening of the Thaba Chweu Boarding School in the Ehlanzeni District will make access to education easier for rural children who would otherwise have to travel long distances. Two new schools will also be completed in 2019, in the City of Mbombela and in eMalahleni.

The Provincial Government of Mpumalanga has teamed up with the Manufacturing, Engineering and Related Services Sector SETA to send 85 students to Russia. The SETA will pay for 35 students in areas that have been identified as critical, namely medicine, civil engineering, veterinary science, aviation/aeronautical studies and information technology.

Sasol offers an all-inclusive bursary for students in engineering, science and accounting. The bursary also has performance-based awards and allowances for things like laptops and calculators. Sasol has also committed to taking on qualified apprentices from the Hydra Arc academy in Secunda.

The University of Mpumalanga enrolled 3 220 students in 2019, a marked increase on humble beginnings in 2014 when the university

Mpumalanga Department of Education: www.mpumalanga.gov.za/education Sasol bursaries: www.sasolbursaries.com Southern African Wildlife College: www.wildlifecollege.org.za University of Mpumalanga: www.ump.ac.za started life with 167 students. The university has added bachelor’s degrees in arts and commerce to its initial offering of academic courses in education and agriculture and a diploma in hospitality. Geology will soon be offered as part of a BSc.

The main campus is at Mbombela with satellites at Siyabuswa (a former education college) and KaNyamazane, which hosts hospitality studies.

Mpumalanga has three Te chnical and Vo cational Education and Training (TVET) Colleges, with an enrolment of over 36 000. UNISA, the Tshwane University of Technology and the Vaal University of Technology also have satellite campuses in the province.

The Mpumalanga Regional Training Trust (MRTT) is a Section 21 company with several sites in the province, including a Hospitality and Tourism Academy at Karino outside Nelspruit. The trust’s construction-training facility is accredited as a Construction Centre of Excellence. The Southern African Wildlife College is located near the Orpen Gate on the edge of the Kruger National Park.

A community-driven district of excellence and development.

Vision

Councillor Muzi Chirwa, with its offices located in Ermelo right at the hear t of the district, Ger t Sibande District Municipality (GSDM) is the largest of the three districts in Mpumalanga Province at 31 841 km², covering 4 0 % of the Mpumalanga Province’s land mass.

According to Stats SA (2016 Community Survey), Gert Sibande’s population increased from 1 043 194 in 2011 to 1 135 409 people in 2016. This makes the GSDM the smallest district in terms of population among the three districts in the province.

Seven local municipalities make up the District Municipality, which is traversed by several major roads including the N11, the N17 and the N3, the main road connecting Gauteng with the coast. GSDM is customer focussed. The vision is the municipality’s point of reference throughout each financial year in all the municipality’s plans, programmes and activities. The vision ensures that the District operates within its powers of function which is to support and coordinate local

Led by Executive Mayor

municipalities. Mission

To support and coordinate our local municipalities to provide excellent services and development. Some of the district’s major towns are Balfour, Carolina, Ermelo, Evander, Secunda, Standerton, Wakkerstroom and Mkhondo (Piet Retief).

The District is gradually growing its reputation for its range of innovative initiatives such as the establishment of the water quality laboratory, purchase of the pothole patching truck, supporting the development of cooperatives and its excellence in rendering municipal health services.

Physcal address: Corner Joubert and Oosthuise Streets, Ermelo, South Africa Postal address: PO Box 1748, Ermelo 2350 Tel: +27 17 801 7000 Fax: +27 17 811 1207 Email: records@gsibande.gov.za Website: www.gsibande.gov.za