NSFAS Millionaire Sibongile Mani Walks Free: "Perfect Candidate for the ANC!"

• Sibongile Mani, the NSFAS millionaire who received R14 million mistakenly, has been freed from a 5-year jail sentence
• Acting Judge Sally Collett suspended her sentence, replacing it with 3 years of correctional supervision and 576 hours of community service
• South Africans and netizens showed support for the court's decision, questioning the fairness of her imprisonment in light of the mishap involving her allowance account

Leveraging her experience in SA governmental reporting at Isolezwe, Phumelele Nxumalo contributes valuable insights to current affairs discussions at Briefly News.

EASTERN CAPE - South Africans have welcomed the decision not to send Walter Sisulu University (WSU) student Sibongile Mani, who was 'accidentally' paid R14 million instead of her R1,400 allowance by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) to jail without hesitation.

The decision came After Mani approached the Eastern Cape High Court to appeal the five-year direct imprisonment she was sentenced to in March 2022 after splurging more than R800,000 of the millions wrongly sent to her allowances account, reports City Press.

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Judge Collett overturns Sibongile Mani's imprisonment

According to DispatchLive, instead of sending Mani to prison, acting Judge Sally Collett wholly suspended the five-year sentence because Mani was acquitted of an offence involving fraud or theft for the duration of the suspension. Judge Collett set aside the initial sentence imposed by the regional court and instead sentenced Mani to three years of correctional supervision and 576 hours of community service without compensation.

Speaking to the publication, Mani's lawyer, Asanda Pakade, said they welcomed the court's judgement. He said:

"I must say it was a long and difficult journey, but it was worth it. At the end of the day, we have achieved our primary objective, which is to keep Sibongile out of prison. We were even prepared to take our course to the Constitutional Court as the sentence was totally inappropriate under the circumstances."

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South Africans support the court's decision

Commenting on a post by The South African on Facebook, netizens supported the court's ruling, with some saying it would have been unfair for Mani to go to prison while the 'corrupt' ANC roams the streets.

Below are some of the comments:

Mark Watson had this to say:

"So long as she doesn’t steal more than the ANC, cause the government doesn’t like competition."

Ronnie Maya commented:

"After how many years of pain and suffering? If you send money to me, I'll eat it!"

Nedclays Bank Suid Afrikaansie suggested:

"The one who deposits the cash must held accountable."

Innocent Shiburi remarked:

"Someone from the NSFAS office was trying to steal the money; bad luck, it went to the wrong account."

Shivan Singh said:

"Perfect candidate for the ANC government, you go, girl!"

Jay Khupa remarked:

"That is very sensible; she isn't to blame; God doesn't give cash by hand."

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Trevor Mpehlo posed the question:

"Good news for a change. What happened to the person NSFAS official that decided to punch six zeros instead of?"

Ndingu Ta Mabheka Kuwe said:

"She's better than the ANC."

Mani elected treasurer for WSU convocation committee

In a twist of events, Briefly News previously reported on Mani being elected treasurer of the Walter Sisulu University convocation committee. Mani won 79 votes during the election, securing her spot in the committee that raises funds for the university and the foundation.

The student's campaign manager, Athenkosi Fani, thanked those who trusted the newly-elected treasurer.

Source: Briefly News