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Walter Sisulu University 'millionaire' student theft trial postponed

Sibongile Mani, who is a Pan Africanist Student Movement of Azania secretary at the Walter Sisulu University, gets instructions from her lawyer Asanda Pakade at court in East London while #OutsourcingMust#Fall and Pasma leader Vusi Mahlangu looks on.
Sibongile Mani, who is a Pan Africanist Student Movement of Azania secretary at the Walter Sisulu University, gets instructions from her lawyer Asanda Pakade at court in East London while #OutsourcingMust#Fall and Pasma leader Vusi Mahlangu looks on.
Image: MALIBONGWE DAYIMANI/DispatchLIVE

The trial against Walter Sisulu University student Sibongile Mani‚ charged with theft of R14m‚ has been postponed to December 6.

Her lawyer‚ Asanda Pakade‚ told magistrate Nomthandazo Vabaza on Thursday that he needed an extended time to finalise pre-trial engagements with state prosecutor Advocate Luthando Makoyi.

The 28-year-old Mani‚ now a third-year accounting student at WSU‚ was arrested by the Hawks on May 29 this year for theft relating to R14m allocated to her "erroneously" for meals in June 2017.

The case was opened by student funds distributors Intelimali on September 5 2017.The state charges in court documents that the R14m was "erroneously" allocated to Mani for meals instead of R1‚400.

The state also alleges that Mani failed to report the error and instead blew R810‚000 of it in just 73 days.

In the packed East London regional courtroom three‚ Vabaza said: "In order to afford the defence time to make representations and further requests from the state‚ the case is postponed to December 6."

Mani is currently out on a warning.

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