Droogfontein Solar Power, a solar plant near Kimberley built under the government’s renewable energy independent power producer programme, set up the Letsatsi Borutho Trust to own 4% of the plant for nearby communities. The trust spent its early dividends repaying the loans it took to buy that stake; once the debt was settled in 2019, it could fund more local projects, and bursaries became a large part of that work.
By the trust’s own count, it has invested R12 million in 84 bursaries and has committed R2 million more for the 2027/2028 financial year. StudyTrust runs the application process and selection on the trust’s behalf.
Applications close on 31 October 2026, with no late entries
Letsatsi Borutho’s call is for study in 2027. The season started on 1 June 2026, and the trust’s poster names 31 October 2026 as the final closing date. StudyTrust’s bursary list marks the programme as extended to that date, so if you saw an earlier deadline in a newspaper or online, the 31 October date on the trust’s own material is the one that counts.
Five conditions on the Letsatsi Borutho poster
- South African citizenship.
- An age of 35 or under.
- A home within 50 km of the Droogfontein Solar Power plant.
- A matric pass.
- Acceptance by a recognised South African public or private college, university of technology or university.
You don’t have to be in this year’s Grade 12 group. Letsatsi Borutho encourages people who wrote the NSC or NTC in an earlier year and are not studying now to apply as well.
Trades count as much as degrees
The trust sets no list of approved fields. It takes applications for skills courses such as boiler making, fitter and turner or plumbing, and for national certificates, national diplomas and degree programmes, at NQF level 6 for the technical routes. A bursar featured on the 2027 poster, from Ritchie, is in the final year of a Bachelor of Education (Intermediate Phase) at Eduvos, which shows that private institutions qualify.
What a Letsatsi Borutho award covers
StudyTrust sets the amount for each student individually. It can stretch to full tuition, the registration and examination charges, a room in residence (or something comparable), food or living costs, and books and stationery.
How StudyTrust ranks Droogfontein-area applicants
Two criteria decide the shortlist. The first is academic: your preliminary or final Grade 12 marks, your most recent results, or the highest grade you passed. The second is financial: you need to show that your family cannot cover the cost of further study. Upload certified copies of your ID, your household’s proof of income, your letter of acceptance and proof of residence; a form missing any of these will not be considered.
Applying online or at the Tlhokomelo Centre in Kimberley
Start on the Letsatsi Borutho Trust page on StudyTrust’s website, which links to the online application. If you prefer paper, StudyTrust also accepts a completed form emailed to b.ndlovu@studytrust.org.za or delivered by hand to the Tlhokomelo Centre, corner of Lecholo and Matanzima roads (776), Kimberley. Questions go to the same StudyTrust email address.
The trust publishes its posters in English and Afrikaans on the Letsatsi Borutho Trust bursaries page, and its office answers on 021 001 3693 or info@letsatsiborutho.co.za.
Other plants near Kimberley and further afield
Kimberley-area students should also know about the Matla A Bokone Solar bursary, which funds five fields within 50 km of its own plant but has already closed for 2027. In the Karoo, the Sibona Ilanga Trust runs a parallel scheme around De Aar, and Enel Green Power funds students near its own wind and solar farms.