A 24-year-old former Student Representative Council (SRC) member from Rustenburg TVET College was arrested on Wednesday by the Hawks for National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) fraud.
According to authorities, the arrest, effected by the Hawks’ Serious Economic Offences Section based at their Pretoria headquarters, comes from allegations dating back to 2023.
It is claimed that several first-year students funded by the NSFAS approached the former SRC member for help accessing their allowances.
As a student leader at the time, she allegedly had prior access to students’ Tenet accounts.
‘Misappropriating’ fellow learners’ accounts
Investigators allege that she used this access to unlawfully log into multiple accounts without permission, withdrawing NSFAS funds at retail stores before later telling students how they could retrieve their allowances after the money had already been misappropriated.
A total of R14 000 was allegedly taken from seven students’ accounts.
A case was opened and transferred to the Hawks, whose investigation led to her arrest.
The suspect is expected to appear before the Rustenburg Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.
In a separate incident, the Secunda-based Hawks Serious Organised Crime Investigation team, working alongside the Secunda K9 Unit, arrested a 30-year-old undocumented Mozambican national in Embalenhle on Wednesday for possession of a stolen firearm.
The Hawks received information on November 24, 2025 indicating that the suspect, who operates a spaza shop in Embalenhle’s Gate 6 area, was allegedly in possession of a firearm.
Surveillance and further intelligence-gathering followed, leading investigators to apply for and obtain a search warrant.
When officers executed the warrant on Wednesday, they recovered a firearm reported stolen in Embalenhle in March 2021. The serial number was still intact, and six live rounds of ammunition were seized.
Authorities have confirmed that the weapon will undergo ballistic testing to determine whether it was used in any other crimes.
The suspect was taken into custody and is expected to appear in the Evander Magistrate’s Court soon.
