UL | Hillensberg Trust Donates Bursaries To 15 Students 2024
Hillensberg Trust donates bursaries to help 15 students realise their dreams
The Hillensberg Trust has put a smile on the faces of fifteen needy and academically deserving students in the Faculties of Health Sciences and Humanities at the University of Limpopo when they offered them bursaries worth R1 million
The bursaries, awarded to first and second level students, will cover full study costs including prescribed textbooks, residence and meals for the 2024 academic year.
One of the beneficiaries, Tlhologelo Radebe (19), BSc Optometry second level student, said the bursary meant that she could then give her studies a hundred percent attention without financial worry. “I’m going to work hard and pass with good grades to realise my dream of opening an optometry practice.”
Mpelege Masewawatla (26), BA Performing Arts second level student, said the funding would play a pivotal role in his studies as he was coming from a family with a single mother. “It was already difficult for my mother to pay for my fees, the bursary will offer such a relief for her and on the other hand I can focus on improving the livelihood of my siblings in the near future.”
Thabang Malaka (20) first year Bachelor of Pharmacy student, said since his father passed on in 2024 things at home were starting to be difficult for their single mother. “My sister is currently studying BSc in Animal Production (third year) and our mother was not coping with both of us at university. This funding will make things easy for her.”
According to Carina Marais, Acting Director of UL Trust, the partnership with Hillensberg Trust is one of meaningful strides towards the development and well-being of our country. “As the university, we are very grateful for this funding as it will not only contribute to students’upliftment but also to the development of our country.”
Prof Richard Madadzhe, Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic and Research) at UL commended the funding, adding that the beneficiaries were fortunate to receive bursaries as student funding was still a challenge in the country due to the economic recession, amongst others. “Grab this funding opportunity with both hands by studying hard so that you become well-positioned to create job opportunities for other students,” Madadzhe advised the beneficiaries.
The Hillensberg Trust Grant was established by the late, notable investor, Mr Leo Karl Dreissen, who was born in Germany in 1909 and came to South Africa in the early 1930s. He was married to Frederika Maria Hoebert and they never had children. The Dreissen family founded United Car and Diesel Distributors, and had the South African franchise for Mercedes Benz and D.K.W as well as a number of properties in central Pretoria and other parts of the country. The husband died in 1975 while the wife passed on in 1993. Both left most of their estates and funds to the Hillensberg Trust.