A South African student has been sentenced to five years in prison for spending money that was accidentally sent to her personal account.
On the first of June 2017, the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) sent Sibongile Mani R14 million by mistake instead of the R1 400 she was entitled to for food allowance. Sibongile was a student at the Walter Sisulu University (WSU)
Instead of reporting the error, Sibongile decided to spend as much as she could. And she managed to spend R810 000 of the funds in 73 days. The court charged her with theft and sentenced her to five years in prison.
Sibongile used the money at 43 merchants in the Eastern Cape, Western Cape and Gauteng. What did she blow it on you may ask. Based on the places she shopped, the bulk of it was food!
- R178 923 at Discount Supermarket in Fleet Street, East London;
- R174 631 at Checkers Hyper supermarket in Centurion;
- R107 255 at Checkers Nonesi Mall in Komani;
- R68 116 at Shoprite on Caxton Street in East London;
- R17 006 at Shoprite in George.
The items she bought included alcohol, cigarettes, airtime, blankets, cookware, cutlery, 13 extension cords, five hairdryers, 24 jackets, 12 cordless kettles, handbags, iTunes gift cards, 11 microwaves, 10 sleepwear items, underwear for men and women and an iPhone.
Now, it’s either the woman is a genius and she knew she was going to get caught or she just really loves food…or she spent it with her university friends because who buys 11 microwaves and 13 extension cords?
If she had bought a car or some big asset it was going to be seized anyway. There is no way the NSFAS can recover food that has already been eaten. She (and her friends) enjoyed themselves in the moment and the court noted that she spent on average R11 000 per day.
What would you have done if the money landed in your account? Would you have gone to jail alone if you spent it with your friends?