Student Charged With Theft For Spending Money In Her Account

A28-year-old South African student has been charged with theft for using the money in her account.

Reports reveal that Sibongile Mani spent more than $63,000 (£47,500) of $1.1m that was mistakenly credited to her account.

The accountancy student at Walter Sisulu University, was arrested by the police’s serious commercial crime unit after she was asked to hand herself in, Anelisa Feni, spokeswoman for an elite police unit, the Hawks, told AFP news agency.

She qualified last year for $110 a month in food allowances from the government’s National Students Financial Aid Scheme, which helps underprivileged students.

However, she was mistakenly transferred $1.1m in June and went on a spending spree, using $63,000 to party and to buy expensive clothes.

After the scheme detected the blunder three months later, it recovered the remainder of the money from her bank account.

Ms Mani was not asked to plead during her court appearance on Tuesday, BBC reports.

She was released on warning and ordered to appear again on 2 July.