2022 in review: Sibongile Mani stole NSFAS money and sparked controversy

Walter Sisulu University student Sibongile Mani, who erroneously received more than R14m from the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), heard her fate in 2022.

Mani spent more than R800,000 after the amount was credited to her account in June 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 which included R20,000 on cigarettes and alcohol.

Intellimali director Roy Jackson told the court an “absurd glitch” caused the “system error”.

Mani was arrested in May 2018 by the Hawks' serious commercial crime unit. She declined to testify during her trial.

She was convicted of theft by the East London regional court in February, with magistrate Twanet Olivier slamming her actions.

“The accused is described as a student activist ..., was in a leadership position at the university in 2017 and also the secretary of a student organisation. Based on the above alone, can it be said that the accused did not know the loan amount of the agreement she entered into in her second year of studies?

“The court is satisfied that the version of the state is reliable,” Olivier said.

A month later she was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment.

NPA spokesperson Luxolo Tyali said Mani’s sentence was 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 then finish the rest of the sentence under correctional supervision.

NSFAS said it welcomed the ruling, which proved that it was not involved in the erroneous payment made by Intellimali, an independent service provider responsible for the disbursement of funds at the university.

The story trended on Twitter, with TimesLIVE readers saying Mani should have only been forced to pay back the money spent.

ANC Youth League Eastern Cape spokesperson Zuko Godlimpi said the charges were “ill-conceived” and the sentence too harsh, while former public protector Thuli Madonsela called it a curious conviction and sentence. 

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

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

Mani's lawyer said in March she would appeal her conviction and sentence. In May she was denied leave to appeal the conviction, but granted leave to appeal the sentence.

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