While the National Student Fund Aid Scheme (NSFAS) continues to fund theft-accused Walter Sisulu University student Sibongile Mani’s education, she has to submit monthly reconciliation statements about her spending.
Mani, a third-year accounting student, was arrested by the Hawks in May and faces a theft charge after student fund distributor Intelimali opened a theft case in September.
This is after R14m was erroneously loaded into her student account in June last year.
Mani failed to report the “error” and instead allegedly blew R810,000 in 73 days.
During her July 2 court appearance, Mani’s spokesperson, Vusi Mahlangu, said the NSFAS had allocated more funding to the under-fire student.
In an e-mailed response, NSFAS spokesperson Kagisho Mamabolo said the scheme would continue funding Mani until she was found guilty in a court of law as long as she qualified for assistance.
“The NSFAS reaffirmed its obligation and commitment to continue disbursing funds to the student for the 2017/2018 academic year.
“The aforementioned decision will be reviewed once the relevant forensic investigations and related processes have been concluded and due process has been followed,” he said.
Mamabolo declined to say how much Mani had been funded for, saying that was private.
“Given the NSFAS’s stance above, we hereby confirm that Ms Mani does in fact qualify for the 2018 meal and book allowances on condition that the NSFAS receives a monthly reconciliation statement on her spent allowances for the remainder of the 2018 academic year, alternatively until she completes her course of study at WSU,” Mamabolo said.
He said in terms of the loan agreement, the scheme reserved the right to withdraw future funding should Mani be found to have defrauded the scheme.