NUM and JB Marks Education Trust fund to honour 104 graduates at the Birchwood hotel in Boksburg

The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), together with the JB Marks Education Trust Fund, will once again honour 104 graduates at its prestigious 14th Annual JB Marks Graduates Awards Ceremony, taking place on Friday, 22nd August 2025, at the Birchwood Hotel & OR Tambo Conference Centre, Serengeti Lapa, from 18h00 to 22h00.

The JB Marks Education Trust Fund was founded in 1997 by the NUM and named after its first president of the African Miners Union JB Marks. The Trust is also celebrating its 28th anniversary and has so far spent R700 million in funding bursaries for its members and dependents. Over the past two decades, JB Marks Education Trust Fund has provided bursaries for members of the NUM and their families.

This prestigious event will honour 104 graduates from the 2024 academic year, celebrating their achievements and the transformative impact of education. We are excited to share that invitations have been thoughtfully extended to a select group of 300 guests, including graduates, their families, dignitaries, and stakeholders from various sectors.

For this year’s graduation ceremony, the main speaker is Dr Alex Mashilo, who holds an MA in Labour Policy and Globalization (2010) and a PhD (2019) from the University of the Witwatersrand (WITS), Johannesburg. His PhD study focused on economic and social upgrading in global production networks and the automotive manufacturing industry as the empirical case. Mashilo’s research interests are based on his MA and PhD studies and include economic and social upgrading, global production networks and value chains, changes in the labour process and production technology, their implications for work, workers, and their responses. He is currently a visiting researcher at the Southern Centre for Inequality Studies at WITS

Guests are invited to arrive at 17h00 for registration, ahead of an evening filled with inspiration, recognition, and celebration.

The JB Marks Education Trust Fund, established by the National Union of Mineworkers, continues to empower the children of mineworkers, energy, construction, and metal workers through bursaries and academic support, fostering excellence and opportunity.

Educating and empowering young Southern Africans is the centerpiece of the NUM strategy meant to break the yoke of the triple evils of poverty, unemployment, and inequality.

These bursaries are an effort of educating and empowering the dependents of NUM members. The education of an individual is by definition the education of a society.

The NUM, through the JB Marks Education Trust Fund, will continue to educate its members and their dependents.

This ceremony is more than a celebration—it’s a testament to the resilience and brilliance of our graduates, and the enduring commitment of the JB Marks Education Trust Fund to uplift communities through education.

The NUM is inviting members of the media to attend and report.

For more detailed information, please contact:

Bongani Dlamini, Acting JB Marks Education Trust Fund Principal Officer, 082 540 1747
Livhuwani Mammburu, NUM National Spokesperson, 083 809 3257

The National Union of Mineworkers
7 Rissik Street.
Cnr Frederick Johannesburg
Tel: 011 377 2111 Cell: 083 809 3257
Twitter: @Num_Media

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/NUM/10086002340216