The mayor of the Musina Local Municipality, Cllr Caroline Mahasela, is calling on indigent students who would like to further their studies at tertiary institutions next year to apply for municipal bursaries.

Application forms are already available at Musina Municipality Civic Centre, Nancefield offices, Madimbo and Malale satellite offices.

Mahasela said for the past seven years, the municipality had done its best to make sure that financial shortcomings did not stop poor kids from furthering their studies. “We know there are students who would like to go to tertiary institutions, but their parents cannot afford to pay the full fees. It is the duty of the municipality to fight illiteracy, poverty and unemployment through initiatives like our bursary scheme. I would like to urge our students to make use of this opportunity, which only comes to those who care about their future.”

Students who qualify for bursaries are those whose parents are ratepayers and have lived in Musina for a period of at least 18 months. The forms should be accompanied by a water and electricity account, a certified copy of ID, and proof of registration or an acceptance letter from a tertiary institution. In order to be considered, students must be studying towards municipal courses.

The mayor will award the bursaries during the eighth annual Mayoral Awards of Musina Local Municipality at Venetia recreational Hall on Friday January 9 at 18:00. During the award ceremony, Mayor Caroline Mahasela will bestow honours on those community members who went beyond their normal duties in building the communities in which they live.

Like the application forms for bursaries, nomination forms for the awardees are also available at the Musina Municipality Civic Centre, Nancefield offices, Madimbo and Malale satellite offices. The categories for the mayoral awards include Community Builder of the Year, Best Artistic Group or Individual, Best Sports Personality, Best Emerging Entrepreneur, Best NGO, Merit Award (Agriculture), Merit Award (Leadership), Best Early Childhood Centre, Most clean school and Best Learner in Mopane Intermediate School, Musina High and Eric Louw High School.

After the mayoral awards, all roads will lead to Nancefield Community Hall where young ladies and gentlemen will compete for the crown during the annual Mr. and Miss Musina beauty pageant. Entry forms for the sizzling pageant are also available at the Musina Municipality Civic Centre, Nancefield offices, Madimbo and Malale satellite offices.