Isn’t it a dream to become filthy rich without putting in any hard work? Many of us have been guilty of wishing for free money, which can only be possible if someone wins a lottery. But what would you do if you suddenly find about Rs 6 crore credited to your account? Well, for one African student, it was a completely different story, as she decided to splurge, which led to her arrest.
Sibongile Mani was a student at Walter Sisulu University (WSU) in South Africa. At that time, she was 32 and used to depend on benefits to pay for her school fees and generally received around $100 (approx Rs 8,300) each month to spend on food. But one fine morning, she found out that the government aid scheme accidentally deposited 14 million Rand ($768363.26 or approximately Rs 6 crore) in her account. Despite the goof-up, Sibongile Mani decided to keep the money and indulge in splurging.
She ended up spending the money on designer clothes, and the latest iPhone and bought expensive liquor bottles. She spent about $40,000 (Rs 33.3 lakh) of the money that was accidentally deposited. She had also been throwing lavish parties and showering her friends with gifts. Sibongile Mani was finally caught through a bank receipt that she had mistakenly left behind at the supermarket. She was reported to police, got arrested and was charged with theft and fraud.
While she was arrested in 2017, in 2022, she was sentenced to five years in prison. However, her lawyer, Asanda Pakade, appealed that Sibongile Mani was not a danger to society and did not seek out the money that was mistakenly deposited in her account. Sibongile Mani alleged that she thought the money was a “miracle” and a “Gift from God”, hence she did not think twice before spending.
Finally, in 2023, two judges agreed to suspend her five-year sentence on the condition that she committed no theft or fraud of any kind. She was still ordered to complete 14 weeks of community service and undergo counselling but was not ordered to pay the money back.
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