Cape Town – The South African International Maritime Institute (Saimi) plans to unlock the oceans economy for women in South Africa with the announcement of a new bursary scheme.
With women forming only 2% of the world’s maritime workforce, the Sindiswa Carol “Tu” Nhlumayo Merit Bursary is now open for young black women wanting to pursue a qualification at a university to develop their career opportunities in the maritime sector.
As the head of the Centre for Maritime Excellence at the South African Maritime Safety Authority (Samsa), the late Nhlumayo played a pioneering role in putting maritime skills development on the map in South Africa, in particular by empowering women in the sector, and championed the establishment of Saimi.
The bursary is offered for maritime, marine or related studies at undergraduate and postgraduate level at any tertiary institution in South Africa. The bursary is open to South African black women (African, Coloured and Indian) under the age of 35 years.
Saimi project manager Odwa Mtati said the bursary aimed to continue the work of Nhlumayo by encouraging a meaningful contribution by women to the maritime sector, and particularly to bolster the participation of young black women.
“She was pivotal in the promotion of women’s participation in the maritime sector.
“She also played a critical role in establishing Saimi, and the bursary scheme in her name honours her contribution to growing South Africa’s skills capacity in the oceans economy,” said Mtati.
During her time at Samsa, Nhlumayo initiated the National Cadet Programme that enabled South African seafaring students to obtain the professional qualification for careers in the global shipping industry.
In 2013 she was a recipient of the Oliver Top Empowerment Award for Best Female Public Servant. At the time of her death in 2016 at the age of 45, she was enrolled for a PhD in Maritime Affairs at the World Maritime University in Sweden.
The bursary is available for a wide variety of maritime-related study fields, including Marine Engineering, Oceanography, Logistics, Shipping, Ocean Governance, Environmental Law, Geological Sciences, Zoology and Marine Ecology.
Recipients will have the full cost of their tuition fees and textbooks covered.
They will also be afforded opportunities to attend Saimi conferences and other maritime-related events, as well as participate in organised bodies supporting women in maritime and science.
The closing date for applications is November 30.
To apply, download the application form from http://www.saimi.co.za/careers-bursaries.html or e-mail Soraya Artman at [email protected]