A student from Walter Sisulu University has been sentenced to five years in jail after spending money from the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) that was erroneously deposited into her bank account.
Sibongile Mani has been sentenced to five years imprisonment.
Mani was found guilty of theft by the East London Regional Court last month after she spent over R800 000 of the money that she received from NSFAS and has today been sentenced to five years in prison.
Intellimali, a service provider to the university used for NSFAS allowances, had paid an amount of R14 million instead of R1 400 in June 2017.
Earlier this week, Mani’s attorney Asanda Pakade had pleaded for a lesser sentence to the court. This, as Mani is in the process of completing post-graduate studies in education and is a mother to two children. He also argued that she has shown remorse.
State Prosecutor Jacques Cilliers said that crime warranted direct imprisonment and would serve as a deterrent so that students know they can't use money that does not belong to them.
