The Northern Cape government is aiming to raise R10 million through this year’s Premier’s Golf Day in Kathu.
The initiative, now in its fourth year, raises funds for the Premier’s Bursary Programme, which supports students from poor households studying at tertiary institutions across the country.
The event has already raised millions of rands, since its inception in 2023.
On the fairways of Kathu, the competition may be centred around birdies and par but the real prize lies far beyond the 18th hole.
Businessmen swapped their suits for golf spike, all driving toward a common goal – raising funds to give Northern Cape learners a shot at a brighter future.
The Premier’s Golf Day has grown from a modest fundraising initiative into one of the province’s biggest education funding drives.
What started with just R86 000 in its first round has now swung past the R6m-mark. This year, the Premier is aiming for a R10m hole-in-one.
“The R10m will be added to the R16m that is normally contributed by the Premier’s Office through the Premier’s Bursary Fund. We want to increase the number of learners we are supporting. We are busy trying to establish an industrial hub here because there are more than 20 mines in the area, and bringing the event here makes it more impactful because the CEOs of these mines are participating,” says Northern Cape Premier, Dr. Zamani Saul.
The most successful 3rd Premier’s Golf Day to raise funds for the NC Premier Bursary Fund. We surpassed our target of R4 million as we managed to raise over R6.5 million. This year, we distributed R17.2 million to 302 deserving students from the Northern Cape for post-matric… pic.twitter.com/tpi5zzrTTO
— Dr. Zamani Saul (@dr_zsaul1) March 15, 2025
The bursary fund currently supports more than 300 students studying critical skills programmes including medicine, engineering, ICT, agriculture and law.
For business the Golf Day is about making sure talented young people are not left behind due to financial hardship.
While players battled sand traps and long putts on the course, a beneficiary of the programme says the bursary removed obstacles in her own life. Twenty four-year-old Potso Malope from Kimberley recently completed her diploma in Real Estate. She says the bursary allowed her to keep her eye on the ball – focusing fully on her studies while the programme covered the costs.
“That every year there’s been smooth sailing. There were no problems in terms of them paying the costs they had to cover because that’s the main focus. I should focus on my studies, and they cover everything. So, it was a smooth-sailing year, and all I had to do was focus on my studies. With the bursary, you’re just supposed to focus on your studies, and then they cover the costs, which include accommodation, registration fees, study materials and tuition fees,” Malope.
Last year, the fund also contributed R1.5m to assist students at Sol Plaatje University with historical debt. Through this initiative the bursary leaves students debt-free after studies.
