Sibongile Mani Handed 5-Year Jail Sentence For Splurging NSFAS Funds
Sibongile Mani, a Walter Sisulu University education honours degree student, was sentenced to five years in prison for stealing R800,000 from the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS).
As East London regional court magistrate Twanette Olivier announced the punishment, many of the gallery members were in tears, while Mani, a mother of two, stood still in the dock.
Olivier argued that a suspended sentence was inappropriate, warning against “misplaced pity,” and stated that Mani was not a victim. “The court has a duty to impose a fearlessly appropriate and fair sentence even if such a sentence would not satisfy public opinion,” Olivier said.
Mani, 31, was found guilty of theft last month after money was accidentally put into her student account by Intellimali, an NSFAS service provider.
In 2017, instead of the R1,400 she was entitled to as a beneficiary, more than R14 million was deposited into her account.
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Mani had spent more than R20,000 in just a few hours. Before her account was frozen, she had spent almost R800,000.
Mani’s lawyer, Asanda Pakade, had pleaded for a suspended sentence, but the state stated the crime was “extremely serious” and a case of public money theft.
