Thuto Pele NPC

About Thuto Pele NPC

Thuto Pele NPC is a registered non-profit company. Its aim is to uplift students from previously disadvantaged communities, in line with the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment Act.

Thuto Pele is not a general charity fund. It is a shareholder in Plantech (Pty) Ltd, a consulting engineering firm. Plantech specialises in the project management and design of electrical and mechanical systems and infrastructure for the built environment. Because of this link, the bursary programme is closely tied to the firm's own need for skilled engineers.

How Thuto Pele supports students

The Thuto Pele bursary pays up to R50 000 towards tuition fees and prescribed textbooks. It goes to final-year students only. The funded fields are Telecommunication Engineering, Information Engineering, Electronic Engineering and Electrical Engineering. These disciplines feed directly into the design and project work that Plantech does.

Funding students in their last year has a clear logic. The organisation can assess near-graduates and bring them into the business soon after they qualify. For the student, the benefit is practical. Fees and books are one of the biggest worries in the final year, and this bursary lifts part of that burden.

Past adverts have limited the programme to students at two institutions, the Tshwane University of Technology and the University of Pretoria. Check the current advert to see whether this still applies.

What to know before applying

Earlier calls set out these requirements. Applicants had to be South African citizens and Black in terms of the B-BBEE Act, meaning African, Indian or Coloured. They needed a matric certificate or equivalent and a good academic record. They also had to be studying full time towards an undergraduate qualification in a final year. Proven financial need was required. Applicants could not hold another bursary or NSFAS funding at the same time.

The work-back obligation is clear and confirmed. Graduates must work at Plantech as Engineers-in-Training. The service period equals the number of years of funding received, so one year of bursary means one year of work. For example, a student funded for a single final year would owe one year of service. Read this condition carefully before you accept an award, because it shapes your first job.

The organisation does not publish a fixed application calendar that we could confirm. Deadlines, amounts and eligible institutions can change between years. Therefore, watch for the latest advert and read it in full. Prepare your ID, academic record and proof of financial circumstances well in advance, so that you can apply quickly when the call opens.