Walter Sisulu University student Sibongile Mani has been sentenced to five years in jail for the theft of R818 000 out of R14-million that was deposited into her student account in error.
Delivering the sentence at the East London magistrate’s court on Wednesday, magistrate Twanet Olivier said a suspended sentence would not be appropriate for the crime.
“The only form of sentence that this court deems appropriate is direct imprisonment. And therefore you are sentenced to a term of five years imprisonment,” said Oliver.
Oliver said in balancing the sentence with a show of mercy, Mani will be deemed suitable for parole after serving a one-third of the sentence, noting that although a lot has been said about Mani’s bright future, she made a decision about the outcome of her future when she repeatedly spent NSFAS (National Student Financial Aid Scheme) money that was not due to her for a period of 76 days.
She said Mani made those conscious decisions everyday when she spent the money that could have assisted 585 students disadvantaged students if Intellimali did not pay for her actions.
Mani’s defence attorney Asanda Pakade said the defence will lodge an appeal. Due to the absence of the state prosecutor advocate Luthando Makoyi, who had been prosecuting the case throughout, a date for appeal has not been scheduled.
Mani is required to be back in court on April 11 to determine the suitable date for the appeal hearing. Her bail has been extended until her next court appearance.
Student Sibongile Mani – Guilty for stealing NSFAS money
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