Get a load of this – 27-year-old Sibongile Mani is a second year accounting student.
Yoh, she still has much to learn.
Yesterday we told you about how a Walter Sisulu University student had R14 million accidentally deposited into her account, and initially reports said she had managed to blow around R400 000 before being caught.
Now more details have come to light, and it’s clear that Mani (lather on the irony) wasn’t holding back.
The only reason she was caught, because apparently the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) doesn’t notice millions missing, was when the “lavish parties grew wilder and the invites were not forthcoming”.
At that point fellow students ratted her out, with this from Times LIVE:
By the time she was bust she had transformed herself and her friends into glamorous women, sporting expensive weaves, carrying iPhone 7 cellphones, slugging back shots of R700-a-bottle whisky and emulating their music star idols, especially Beyonce.
But her rivals in the SA Students Congress grew suspicious after Mani underwent a transformation.
Samkelo Mqhayi, deputy branch secretary of Sasco and SRC student support officer, said he was the one who outed Mani. “She used to sport neat cornrows but she had recently started wearing a R3000 Peruvian weave.
“She also bought an iPhone 7 for herself and all her friends. She suddenly appeared at lectures wearing designer clothes.
“She threw surprise birthday parties for her friends and used some of the money to fly to events like the Durban July.
Dang girl, never go Peruvian with the weave. Rookie error.
Mani says she is not yet ready to tell her side of the story, saying “It’s difficult, very difficult but I will get through [it]”.
Shame, what a real-life struggle.
Back to how the dream fell apart:
Another Sasco source said it was when Pasma started hosting “extravagant” parties where expensive alcohol was quaffed that they uncovered the truth.
“We are the ruling student movement, so we didn’t understand how come they held such extravagant parties.”
The source said the cheapest booze served at the parties was Johnnie Walker Gold, which costs R700 per 750ml bottle.
Sasco branch chairman Zolile Zamisa said: “We are shocked about this incident. Not so long ago we were protesting for thousands of students left without funding. She was living a lavish lifestyle, hosting birthday parties for each of her friends at upmarket champagne clubs and other expensive spots.”
In case you aren’t aware Mani is a branch secretary of Pasma, the student wing of the PAC.
Turns out our student politicians are learning from our real ones.
It could be about to get worse for the student:
…criminal law expert James Grant said it was likely that Mani would only be charged with theft.
“In our criminal law, as soon as you realise it was paid in error, then yes, it is theft,” he said.
Sometimes when it’s too good to be true it really is.
[source:timeslive]
