As part of nurturing its relations with its various strategic stakeholders, the University of Limpopo (UL) recently met with one of its sponsors, Masana Petroleum Solution, which funds several students at the University with bursaries.
Masana Petroleum Solution’s presence afforded students the opportunity to physically meet with their funders and reflect on the sponsorship and mentorship tips.
The partnership between UL and Masana began in 2017, resulting in the establishment of the Masana Bursary Scheme for students in the Faculty of Management and Law. So far, over R3 million has been spent on bursaries and laptops since 2017, with 58 students benefiting in the process.
In her welcoming remarks, Prof Jesika Singh, UL Deputy Vice – Chancellor for Research, Innovation and Partnerships, thanked Masana Petroleum Solution for their help to UL students, which enables them to successfully complete their studies without financial challenges.
In his address, Morena Sithole, Managing Director of Masana Petroleum Solution said their company does not only sponsor students and disappear, but they also get involved and develop a relationship with them through mentorship to help them overcome their challenges. “Our vision is to positively impact the lives of the less fortunate by investing in education. We see this relationship with UL as beneficial and wish for it to continue so that many students can be helped to transform their families and individual lives.”
Meanwhile, Prof Richard Madadzhe, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Teaching and Learning at UL, highlighted how the University was very grateful for the funding by Masana Petroleum Solution, adding that students should utilise the funding purposefully by working hard in order to complete their studies and realise their career dreams. He humbly thanked the company for its commitment, which is aimed at seeing the beneficiaries succeed in their lives, emphasising that it is not only the number of students who benefit that matters, but the financial commitment of the company, especially in this unfavourable economic climate.”
One of the beneficiaries, Karabo Ramothwala (21), a BCom Accounting student from Tzaneen, whose relationship with Masana began in 2021, thanked the sponsor for making her academic journey possible. “I wouldn’t have been in my third level of study if it were not for the Masana bursary because at some stage I thought of giving up due to financial challenges because at home my siblings and I rely only on my father’s salary, and it is not enough to sustain all our academic needs.”
Masana Petroleum Solution is a black-owned petroleum company that was founded in 2005 within the BP Southern Africa structure to provide commercial entities with fuelling solutions.