Lasizwe has revisited the pain of the R2 million student fee crowdfunding initiative he was accused of pocketing several years ago.
In 2021, the influencer started the #R10GoesALongWay initiative to help students around South Africa pay their registration and tuition fees.
LASIZWE RESPONDS TO CRITICISM OF ‘MISSING’ STUDENT MONEY
On his X platform, Lasizwe once again addressed accusations he pocketed R2 million he had raised to aid South African students.
He posted: “Four years ago, I was dragged through the mud over claims that I stole R2 million yama students, which was false and it’s lies. Till this day, that accusation still haunts me.
He continued, ” I’m seeing people joking about it now, but you don’t understand the damage it caused. I’ve spent four years trying to clear my name from something I didn’t do.”
In 2022, Lasiwe attempted to clear the confusion on the money he had raised.
He told TshisaLive: “This has been popping up, I’ve been ignoring it. It was long overdue for me to respond and say what happened because people were terrorising me on social media and saying I ate the 2 million. I didn’t even see a cent of that 2 million.
“Everything was transferred to the Fundi organisation and they handled the proceedings”.
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE R2 MILLION?
In March 2021, Lasizwe, along with fellow stars Sibu Mabena, Takkies Dinwiddy, and King Aya, started the #R10GoesALongWay initiative to raise funds to assist students during the “Fees Must Fall” protests around the country.
In just a few days, Lasizwe and co. raised R1 million and were matched with another R1 million in a pledge made by Standard Bank.
However, there was no word on the cash until August of that year when Lasizwe claimed that whilst over R2 million had been raised, they had only received half the money due to red tape delays.
He told the media, “Some companies that pledged to the initiative had to get tax clearances. And it’s been a long process. Fundi [Bursary fund FundiFund] has its own protocols it needs to adhere to.”
According to Fundi Fun’s website, the money has been used to assist students.
It said: “Over three years, over 480 students were funded for their registration within the various accredited institutions to the value of R2.2million”.
DO YOU BELIEVE LASIZWE WAS UNFAIRLY CRITICISED OVER HIS STUDENT FUNDRAISING INITIATIVE?
Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1.
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