Brian Gwaze

University of Johannesburg/ BEng Mechanical Engineering

“Going to university not only brought hope to my family but also gave hope to my village as a whole. They witnessed for themselves that it was possible to achieve your dreams irrespective of how disadvantaged your background was. When I received my bursary from Canyon Coal, I had exhausted all our family’s financial resources and owed the university tuition fees. If it were not for the bursary, I would have been forced to drop out and disappoint many people looking up to me. The bursary was the sole reason I managed to graduate as a Mechanical Engineer. The bursary covered all my varsity expenses from registration, tuition, accommodation, books, and included a stipend. Group HR Manager Sarie Opperman invited me for guidance and counselling at the end of each semester at Canyon Coal’s head office. The sessions were effective since she paid attention to my specific situation and not offer generalised advice. The company would also provide all the documentation needed for registrations and accommodation, thus ensuring that the whole process ran smoothly. After graduating, I was offered a job at Canyon Coal. I have worked as an Engineering Workshop Foreman and am currently a Junior Engineer at Khanye Colliery. My next goal is to become a competent GCC Certified Mine Engineer.”