Royal Bafokeng Platinum

About Royal Bafokeng Platinum

Royal Bafokeng Platinum (RBPlat) was a South African producer of platinum group metals. Its mines were near Rustenburg in the North West province. The company grew out of a joint venture between Royal Bafokeng Holdings, the investment company of the Royal Bafokeng Nation, and Anglo American Platinum.

In 2023, Impala Platinum Holdings (Implats) completed its takeover of RBPlat, ending up with more than 98% of the shares. RBPlat was delisted from the JSE in September 2023. Its operations continue under Implats as Impala Bafokeng, which runs two mines and two concentrators about 30 kilometres north-west of Rustenburg. RBPlat no longer exists as an independent company.

The former RBPlat bursary

While it operated independently, RBPlat funded a bursary programme for students in mining-related studies. Awards were open to all fields, but preference went to core mining disciplines. These included electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, geology, metallurgy, mining engineering and mine survey.

Selection was based on academic performance, and bursars had to keep up an acceptable level of results to continue receiving funding. Applicants had to be South African citizens who had completed matric. Preference also went to candidates linked to the Royal Bafokeng Nation and the wider Rustenburg communities.

This focus made sense for a mining company. RBPlat needed engineers, geologists and surveyors, and many of them could come from the communities that live next to its operations.

What to know now

Because RBPlat has been absorbed, you should not expect to apply for a bursary under the old RBPlat name. Bursary administration for this area has moved to Implats, which runs its own, broader bursary programmes for communities around its operations. For example, Mining Weekly reported that Impala Rustenburg awarded 37 new university bursaries in 2026.

The Royal Bafokeng Nation is a well-known community near Rustenburg, and its history of mining royalties shaped the area's focus on education. That background explains why local students once received preference. If you held an RBPlat bursary before the takeover, speak to your university funding office and to Implats about how your funding continues. Keep all your award letters and academic records safe, as they will help any follow-up.

The Royal Bafokeng Institute is a separate body. It has offered its own bursaries, including support for TVET college students from the Royal Bafokeng area. Its programmes have their own rules, so do not confuse them with the former company bursary.

If you live near Rustenburg and study mining, engineering or geology, start with the Implats website. Fields, closing dates, community preferences and any work-back conditions are set by the current programme and can change every year. Always rely on the latest official advert rather than older listings that still carry the RBPlat name.