Letsatsi Borutho Trust

The Letsatsi Borutho Trust holds shares in the Droogfontein Solar Power plant near Kimberley in the Northern Cape on behalf of the communities that live around the plant. Letsatsi means sun in Setswana, a fitting name for a trust whose income comes from a photovoltaic solar farm.

Registered name

Letsatsi Borutho Trust

Type

Community trust (renewable energy ownership)

Fields funded

All fields, at degree, national diploma or NQF Level 6 vocational level

Email

apply@StudyTrust.org.za

Phone

011 403 1632 (StudyTrust, administrator)

Where the money comes from

The Letsatsi Borutho Trust exists because of South Africa’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP). The programme requires private power producers that win contracts to sell electricity to Eskom to set aside shareholding for local communities and to spend on socio-economic and enterprise development. Droogfontein Solar Power’s community shareholding sits in the Letsatsi Borutho Trust, and the dividends the plant pays flow back to the trust.

Because residents hold a stake in the plant itself, the Letsatsi Borutho Trust bursary works more like a community dividend than a corporate social investment programme, according to a provider record checked in August 2026. That explains two unusual features: the trust funds any field of study, and the bursary carries no obligation to work for the solar plant afterwards. BursariesAfrica’s earlier guide reports that the trust has put more than R6.5 million into tertiary education.

What the bursary covers

The Letsatsi Borutho Trust bursary covers registration, tuition and examination fees, learning materials, accommodation and meals. Students can study at TVET colleges, universities of technology or universities, at degree, national diploma or NQF Level 6 technical and vocational level. Applicants must be South African citizens living within a 50-kilometre radius of the Droogfontein Solar Power plant, be enrolled or accepted at an accredited tertiary institution and show financial need.

StudyTrust runs applications

The Letsatsi Borutho Trust does not run its own application website. StudyTrust, a long-established South African bursary administrator, manages applications on the trust’s behalf. The trust’s 2027 advert listed 19 August 2026 at 12:00 as the closing date, while StudyTrust’s general application season runs until 30 September 2026, so late applicants should contact StudyTrust immediately.

How to research the trust further

With no standalone website, the Letsatsi Borutho Trust is harder to research than a company. Ask StudyTrust to confirm the 50-kilometre boundary, since villages and farms near Kimberley may fall just inside or outside it. Ask your ward councillor or community leaders whether they know the trust’s local representatives, because community trusts usually hold meetings and report back to beneficiaries. Always use StudyTrust’s official contact details rather than numbers shared on social media.

Northern Cape students can find more options on our Northern Cape Government Bursaries page.