Soka grateful for life- changing DPWI bursary
Ngelihle Soka, 27, shudders to think what her life would have turned out had she not been lucky enough to be awarded a bursary by the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) after completing her matric in 2013.
Born and bred in Tsomo, in the Eastern Cape, today she works as a professional registered quantity surveyor in the same department.
As an A learner at St James Secondary School in Cofimvaba,
she was offered a bursary by the Department of
Public Works and Infrastructure to study the engineering and built environment.
She said being awarded the bursary benefited her in many ways. The bursary covered tuition fee, stationery, food allowance and residence fees.
“Given the above, there was no room for failure at university as everything that a student needs was provided to me by the government. This motivated me enough to study even harder. Because of this, my parents never got to worry about a cent when I was at university”.
“I will always be grateful to the Department and the government for the opportunity. Today I am a registered professional Quantity Surveyor all because of DPWI,” said Soka.
Soon after completing her Bachelor of Science Honours in Quantity Surveying at the Nelson Mandela University, she joined the Department as an intern.
“I was then translated to the Young Professional Programme. I obtained my professional registration as a Professional Quantity Surveyor in November 2023,” she said.
Her roles and responsibilities include forecasting preliminary estimates for construction projects, preparing feasibility studies, and advising the client on how to optimise returns.
She also prepares bills of quantities, and tender documentation and monitors the project from inception to close out stage to ensure that the project is completed within time, value and of good quality.
In January, Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Sihle Zikalala awarded 100 bursaries to learners from the class of 2023 matriculants, who have enrolled to study various built environment courses at universities across the country.
In its 10th year of existence, the DPWI bursary programme has benefited over 500 deserving students, an investment of over R160 million into the lives of the students and to bring the required skills into the public sector.
For more information on SANRAL scholarships visit: www.sanral.co.za