By Lebone Rodah Mosima

Young scientists have secured major university bursaries and other awards at the 2026 Eskom Expo for Young Scientists International Science Fair.

Two learners, Hamzah Loonat and Shalom Lasimu from the Nkangala region, were each awarded Siemens Energy higher education bursaries worth R675,000 to study towards a Bachelor of Science in Engineering at a South African university.

Scott Baker from Bryanston High School in Johannesburg received the University of Pretoria-Derek Gray Memorial Award, which includes a R600,000 university bursary and the Derek Gray Gold Medal.

Eskom also provisionally awarded merit bursaries to six young scientists, subject to their final National Senior Certificate results as well as the utility’s bursary and university admission requirements.

The awards were announced at the 46th Eskom Expo International Science Fair in Boksburg, which ran from September 29 to October 2 and brought together 316 young scientists from 35 regions across South Africa and 24 international participants.

Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Dr Nomalungelo Gina, addressing participants on Thursday, said the opportunities offered through the Expo were particularly important as South Africa grappled with shortages of people with STEM skills.

“The reality is that South Africa is not the only country experiencing a skills shortage in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or a decline in interest in STEM school subjects,” Gina said.

“Many of the countries represented here face the same challenge.”

Eskom and its partners used the competition to identify and financially support learners who could potentially move into science, engineering, technology and research careers.

Gina said Eskom, one of the country’s major users of technical and engineering skills, would itself require such expertise as it expanded and maintained the country’s electricity infrastructure.

“Our country and our continent can only develop to their full potential when each generation produces enough scientists, technicians, technologists, engineers, researchers and innovators for the next one. That is how progress is sustained, and Eskom understands this.

“It is investing in the very people who will one day build, run and improve the systems on which our nation depends,” Gina said.

The Fair featured young researchers from all nine provinces, alongside participants from countries including Brazil, India, Russia, Lesotho, Namibia, China, Türkiye, Tunisia, Mozambique and Ghana.

Learners had progressed to the international fair through workshops, district expos and regional science fairs, refining their projects through judging and feedback before reaching the final competition.

In addition to the major bursaries, universities, professional bodies and private companies awarded cash prizes, laptops, tablets and smaller bursaries across fields including engineering, environmental science, mathematics, physics, computer science and water research.

Wits University’s Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment awarded R40,000 bursaries to Jonathan van Wyk and Thapelo Shawa, while Mvuyelwa Bam received a R40,000 bursary from the university’s Faculty of Science.

Daniel Ferreira and Paballo Nkwane each received R45,000 bursaries from the University of Pretoria’s Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences.

Gina told participants that the country’s STEM skills shortage should not be regarded only as a future problem for government or industry to solve.

“It is a challenge you are already answering, with every experiment you run and every question you ask.”

INSIDE EDUCATION

The post Learners land major bursaries at Eskom science fair appeared first on Inside Education..