RUSTENBURG – A 24-year-old former Student Representative Council (SRC) member from Rustenburg TVET College is set to appear in the dock today, facing serious charges of fraud and corruption related to the theft of student financial aid.
The suspect is scheduled to appear before the Rustenburg Magistrate’s Court following her arrest on Wednesday 3 December by the Hawks’ Serious Economic Offences Section based in Pretoria.
The charges stem from incidents alleged to have taken place in 2023. According to the police, the suspect exploited her position of authority to defraud first-year students funded by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS).
Police reports indicate that new students had approached the suspect for assistance in accessing their monthly allowances.
“As an SRC member at the time, she had prior access to students’ Tenet accounts. It is alleged that the suspect used this access to log into students’ accounts without authorisation,” the police stated.
Investigators allege that once the suspect had gained access to the accounts, she went to retail stores to withdraw funds for herself. In a calculated move to cover her tracks, she reportedly returned to the students after the withdrawals were made to “explain” how they could access their allowances, hiding the fact that she had already misappropriated their money.
The Hawks investigation revealed that a total of R14 000 was unlawfully withdrawn from the accounts of seven students.
A case docket was opened and handed over to the Hawks for further investigation, culminating in the operation to arrest the former student leader this week.
