A South African student at Walter Sisulu University in Eastern Cape Province has appeared before a magistrate court on charges of theft for splurging $63,000 of $1.1 million erroneously credited to her account.
Sibongile Mani, 28, was arrested Tuesday 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.
Mani was qualified last year for 1,400-rand ($110) in monthly food allowances from the National Students Financial Aid Scheme, which aids underprivileged students.
Instead, she was accidentally given $1.1 million in June and she went on a binge party, splurging on expensive clothing and a smartphone.
It took the scheme three months to detect the error. It recovered the remainder of the funds from her bank account.
Mani was released on a warning and ordered to appear again on July 2.
-Ebiwalisgossip
