A South African student has escaped from prison after she spent £50,000 over a 73-day shopping binge after mistakingly receiving £850,000 instead of her regular £85 monthly university food subsidy.
Sibongile Mani, a 32-year-old scholar, depends on assistance to support her education. But when a government help program delivered her 10,000 times too much money, she could not believe it.
When the released student checked her South African bank account, she discovered that she had become an overnight multimillionaire, with 14 million rands added to her account.
Rather than reaching out to government representatives, the accounting student went on a shopping binge.
She traded in her inexpensive cornrow hairstyle for £200-per-time Peruvian weaves, dumped her old wardrobe for designer clothes, and purchased herself and her friends the newest iPhones, according to Mail Online.
However, her new way of living, which had her wasting a tiny fortune of £666 every day, quickly drew criticism.
Mani came to light after she was reported to the police after leaving a grocery till receipt behind that revealed she had more than £800,000 in her bank account.
After being detained in 2017 and accused of theft and fraud, she was sentenced to five years in jail in 2022 for stealing 818,000 rand, or about £50,000, in 2017.
She claimed in a post on her own blog following her sentencing that she “didn’t think twice” about spending the money because she considered it to be “miracle money” and a “gift from God.”
However, Mani’s attorney, Mr. Asanda Pakade, filed an appeal, arguing that Mani posed no threat to the public, had not looked for the money, and was not a suitable choice for an overcrowded jail.
According to him, the National Student Financial Aid Scheme sent her the incorrect amount of 14 million rand and was unaware that it was missing until students informed them.
When she appeared before the East London High Court in Makhanda, two justices decided to suspend the five-year prison term—as long as she doesn’t steal or commit fraud during that period.
The recently married mother of two was also required to undergo counseling and perform 14 weeks of community service, but she was not required to reimburse her expenses.
“She is very relieved and happy that she does not have to go to prison and is looking to put all of this behind her and starting again,” Mani’s attorney, Mr. Pakade, stated after the case.
He stated, “She is rebuilding her life, which was left in ruins, and is eager to begin anew. She is extremely appreciative that the court made the decisions that it did.”
At the time, Mr. Samkelo Mqhayi, the branch secretary of the South African Students Congress, told Herald Live that Mani had been reported to the NSFAS because “she was just suddenly spending so much.”
“She had 13.6 million rand in her account, according to her supermarket receipt that was leaked, and she had been throwing parties and buying presents for her friends without worrying.”
At the time, a fellow student remarked, “One minute Sibongile was struggling and broke, and the next she was living a lavish lifestyle with an apparent empty purse.”
We assumed she must have won the lottery when she started dressing opulently in pricey gowns, jewelry, and handbags, but I guess she had some success.
“Her place was no longer in the student bar; it was in the champagne and whisky clubs,” she declared.vi
