Siyambonga Mhlakaza : NPA
A 35-year-old man has been sentenced to 18 years direct imprisonment for siphoning R1.2 million from Walter Sisulu University (WSU).
Siyambonga Mhlakaza was sentenced at the Mthatha Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in the Eastern Cape on Friday.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Luxolo Tjali, said he pleaded guilty to several counts of money laundering and 81 counts of fraud.
Tjali said Mhlakaza admitted to having been part of a scam that saw allowances meant for financially disadvantaged students and salaries of academic staff diverted to his bank accounts.
"In his plea explanation, he claims to have been approached by a WSU employee working in the Financial Aid Bureau section, who asked for his bank account details to deposit funds in them," he said.
At least 81 students, some of whom ended up dropping out of university, were affected.
Mhlakaza, who is a Rhodes University Bachelor of Pharmacy dropout and has a previous conviction of shoplifting in Makhanda, refused to reveal the name of the employee who approached him.
Tjali said deposits ranging between R6000 and R89 000 were made into his different bank accounts between April and June 2019.
The accused also admitted to calling Intellimali, a private company responsible for the distribution of student allowances, and pretended to be a qualifying student who wanted to check his allowances and change his banking details.
Intelimali officials then deposited funds meant for the student into Mhklaza's bank accounts.
The fraudster was arrested in May 2021 after an alarm was raised by WSU when one of their students did not receive her allowance.
His alleged accomplices, Nolufefe Matera, Sibongiseni Matshamba, and Loyiso Siyo, who have all pleaded not guilty to the charges against them, are due back in court on the 16th of March.
Meanwhile, Magistrate Shylock Ndengezi, while handing down his judgment, warned WSU officials who were in the public gallery that the mastermind behind the elaborate scam is still unknown and within their midst.