The Amandla Omoya Trust is a community trust that holds shares in the Jeffreys Bay Wind Farm in the Kouga area of the Eastern Cape. The name means “the power of the wind”, and the trust uses part of what it earns from the turbines to send local people to college and university. StudyTrust, a public benefit organisation, runs the bursary programme for the trust: it publishes the advert, receives the forms and handles selection.
Unlike most StudyTrust programmes, which stop taking forms on 30 September, the Amandla Omoya Trust’s application season runs from 1 June to 31 October. That gives applicants for 2027 study until 31 October 2026 to finish their forms.
The 50 km rule around the turbines
Your home address decides whether you can apply. The trust only funds South African citizens who live within a 50-kilometre radius of the Jeffreys Bay Wind Farm. You will upload a document proving where you live, so a relative’s address in Humansdorp or Jeffreys Bay will not help if you actually live elsewhere.
You must also hold, or be about to receive, an acceptance at a recognised South African tertiary education or training institution. The trust accepts both public and private institutions.
Plumbing and bricklaying count, not only degrees
Many community bursaries only fund university study. The Amandla Omoya Trust casts a wider net. The trust invites applications for:
- technical and skills training at NQF level 6, such as plumbing or bricklaying programmes
- national diplomas at TVET colleges and universities of technology
- degree programmes at academic universities
No field of study is excluded on StudyTrust’s programme page, so a future electrician, teacher or accountant from the Kouga area can apply on the same footing.
Marks and money: how the trust chooses
StudyTrust weighs two things for this trust. First, academic performance: matric learners are judged on their preliminary or final Grade 12 results, and students already studying on their latest results. Second, financial need: you must show that your family cannot pay for your studies. StudyTrust has not published a household income ceiling for the Amandla Omoya programme, so the assessment rests on the income documents you upload.
The trust sets the value of each bursary individually. It may pay for:
- tuition, registration and examination fees
- a place in a residence or similar accommodation
- meals
- textbooks, stationery and other learning materials
Applying online or by email before 31 October
StudyTrust takes Amandla Omoya applications on its online application platform. Read the trust’s conditions on the Amandla Omoya Trust programme page on StudyTrust’s website, then register and apply through the StudyTrust online application portal. If you cannot apply online, StudyTrust also accepts completed hardcopy forms by email at b.ndlovu@studytrust.org.za.
Have these ready as scans or clear photos before you start:
- your South African ID, certified
- your latest school report or academic record
- proof of your address inside the 50 km zone
- proof of household income
- a head-and-shoulders photo
StudyTrust considers one application for every bursary it administers, so a Kouga resident may also be matched with the Tsitsikamma Wind Farm Trust Bursary or the Enel Green Power bursary for communities near its plants if the area rules fit. For other funders open to any field, browse our general bursaries list.
Can I use the Amandla Omoya bursary at a private college?
Yes. The trust accepts acceptances at recognised public or private South African tertiary education and training institutions.
I live in Jeffreys Bay but study in Gqeberha. Can I still apply?
The rule concerns where you live, not where you study. If your home is within 50 km of the wind farm and you can prove it, you can apply to study anywhere in South Africa.