AngloGold Ashanti plc and the University of Witwatersrand (Wits University) have announced a bespoke scholarship project that will benefit about 200 eligible students over the next five to seven years, the first 68 of whom have been selected to begin their studies in 2024.

The R87.5 million Wits AngloGold Ashanti Legacy Scholarship Endowment will offer comprehensive funding and support over the duration of their studies to eligible students from disadvantaged and rural families with links to the mining industry and AngloGold Ashanti’s former gold mines in South Africa.

Students can select to complete their undergraduate or postgraduate studies in high-impact areas where critical skills are required, including health and advanced medicine, engineering, education, technology, science, law and the social sciences at Wits University.

The scholarship is part of a larger investment in legacy projects in education and agriculture that AngloGold Ashanti will carry out over the next five years to recognise the company’s commitment to South Africa, its employees and its communities.

"We are proud to honour our South African heritage by investing to enhance the future of these communities through our legacy projects,” said AngloGold Ashanti CEO Alberto Calderon. “Education changes lives for the better and the Wits AngloGold Ashanti Legacy Scholarship Endowment reflects our commitment to South Africa and development in the regions that have contributed to our journey.”

The aim of the scholarship is to build the future for a select cohort of students and more broadly to improve the support available to students to enable their success.

“Wits University is committed to working with AngloGold Ashanti to advance high-level scholarships, research and innovation in South Africa, in order to address future challenges,” says Prof. Zeblon Vilakazi, the Vice-Chancellor and Principal of Wits University.

“This partnership will impact on society in multiple ways – it will lay a path to success for young talented students, it will benefit the University and the higher education sector, it will uplift communities and advance society.”

Funding will be utilised for both undergraduate and postgraduate students and is anticipated to run in parallel with a mentoring programme hosted by AngloGold Ashanti volunteers in certain areas of study.

AngloGold Ashanti has its roots in South Africa and the company remains committed to supporting communities that have deep links to the country’s mining industry.

AngloGold Ashanti and Wits University share a deep, intertwined history, jointly playing a major role in the development of South Africa’s mining industry over the past century.

The Wits AngloGold Ashanti Legacy Scholarship Endowment announcement follows the 21 June announcement by AngloGold Ashanti and the University of Fort Hare about the establishment of the AngloGold Ashanti Chair in Dairy Science and Technology at UFH.