The Eastern Cape Department of Rural Development and Agrarian Reform (DRDAR) now operates as the Eastern Cape Department of Agriculture. The old drdar.gov.za address forwards to the department’s new site, ecagriculture.gov.za, and that is where any external bursary advert for agriculture-related study in the province should appear. As of 2 October 2026, the department has not posted a 2027 bursary advert there.
September is the month the policy names
The department’s Bursary Policy, adopted under the DRDAR name and still posted on its website, sets out an annual timetable:
- Directorates list their priority skills needs by the end of July.
- The Skills Development Committee starts sitting in September to weigh training needs against the budget.
- An advert goes out in September inviting applications for the coming academic year.
- The committee processes applications within a month of the closing date.
- Applicants receive confirmation letters by the end of December.
September has passed without an advert on the website, so the 2027 call may be late, may appear only in newspapers or on social media, or may not run at all. Check the department’s site regularly in October and November, and phone the department before relying on any date you see elsewhere.
Rules for external applicants under the bursary policy
- Awards follow the department’s strategic and staffing needs, so the fields change with each advert.
- External bursaries fund study only at accredited public universities and universities of technology.
- Qualifying students from designated groups in the Eastern Cape get preference.
- The selection committee looks at your financial situation and your academic performance.
- You must declare every other sponsor on the form; hiding one can cost you the offer.
Costs the department carries for full-time students
For full-time students the policy covers tuition, accommodation, meals and prescribed books. If the department pays late and your family has covered any of those costs, the department refunds them on proof of payment. You may do vacation experiential training at the nearest departmental office, but the policy says no stipend is paid for it. Each student or group of students is meant to have a mentor during and after their studies.
When the department can end the contract
The department can cancel a bursary if you are expelled or excluded, take longer than the accepted years of study, change direction without the Head of Department’s approval, or drop out. A student who abandons studies without approval must repay what the department paid within 12 months. Where studies end without a substantial reason, the policy allows the department to claim back 100% of the bursary. The written work-back rule in the policy applies to internal (employee) bursary holders. External graduates get preferential consideration when they apply for funded vacant posts. Check the contract for any service clause.
Where to watch for the 2027 call
Keep an eye on the Eastern Cape Department of Agriculture website and its vacancies section. The department’s bursary policy (PDF) explains the rules above. Only send documents to an address or email that appears in an advert carrying the department’s name and letterhead.
While you wait, apply to funders with confirmed calls. The national Department of Agriculture bursary covers agricultural engineering, veterinary science and other agricultural degrees. Eastern Cape students in science and engineering can try the East London IDZ bursary, and the Limpopo agriculture department’s 2027 round shows the kind of call a provincial department runs.