A South African Student Who Received $1million Credit By Error Arrested For Lavishing It

Sibongile Mani

A South African student who spent extravagantly more than $63,000 of $1.1 million she wrongly received was arrested on Tuesday and arraigned in court for alleged theft, police authorities has disclosed.

The 28 year old Sibongile Mani, was arrested by the police’s serious commercial crime unit after she was asked to turn herself in, Anelisa Feni, spokeswoman for an elite police unit, the Hawks, told AFP.

Sibongile Mani

Mani, a student at Walter Sisulu University in Eastern Cape province, appeared before a magistrate court on charges of theft.

As a student she had qualified last year for 1,400-rand ($110) in monthly food allowances from the National Students Financial Aid Scheme, which aids underprivileged students.

However she was wrongly credited $1.1 million in June and decided to go on a spending spree, buying expensive clothing, a smartphone and went on partying.

Sibongile Mani

It took the National Students Financial Aid Scheme, three months to detect the error. It recovered the remainder of the money from her bank account.
Meanwhile, Mani has been released on a warning and ordered to appear again on July 2.


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