POLL | What do you think of Sibongile Mani’s sentence?

Walter Sisulu University student Sibongile Mani’s conviction and sentence has sparked debate on social media, with some claiming it is “too harsh” and others saying it will be a deterrent.

Mani was on Wednesday sentenced to five years’ imprisonment for theft relating to R14m erroneously credited to her bank account by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) in 2017.

She was entitled to a R1,400 allowance from the scheme and was accused of failing to report the R14m. Instead, she embarked on a spending spree, spending R818,000. 

NPA spokesperson Luxolo Tyali said Mani’s sentence is subject to the provisions of section 276(1) of the Criminal Procedure Act, which could see her eligible for parole after about 10 months. She would finish the rest of the sentence under correctional supervision.

The sentence got tongues wagging and was the most popular topic on Twitter.

Amid the debate, ANC Youth League Eastern Cape spokesperson Zuko Godlimpi said the charges were “ill-conceived” and the sentence was too harsh.

“It is true that the money received by the student was not due to her. It is also true that there was the wise option of alerting the university or NSFAS about the error. However, the argument that this was theft is a stretch,” he said in a statement. 

State advocate Jacques Cilliers said Mani's offence was” extremely serious”.

“She was aware every time she spent, showing the lavish intent she had. She abused the position she had with the university and NSFAS. What she did was not a spur-of-the-moment thing, it was premeditated,” Cilliers said.

Businessman Malcolm X pledged R500,000 to help repay the R818,000 spent by Mani, hoping it may keep her out of jail. However, repayment of the funds was not an option given by the court.

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