Pretoria, 03 December 2025 — The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) has arrested a 24-year-old former Student Representative Council (SRC) member from Rustenburg TVET College for her alleged involvement in a fraud scheme targeting first-year students funded by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS).
According to the Hawks’ Serious Economic Offences Section based at Headquarters in Pretoria, the suspect was taken into custody in Rustenburg on Wednesday, 03 December 2025.
Preliminary investigations revealed that in 2023, several first-year NSFAS beneficiaries allegedly approached the SRC member seeking help to access their student allowances. Leveraging her SRC position, the suspect reportedly had prior access to students’ Tenet accounts. She is accused of unlawfully logging into these accounts without permission and withdrawing funds at various retail outlets.
After allegedly siphoning the money, she is said to have misled the affected students by explaining how to access their allowances — only after the funds had already been misappropriated. A total of R14 000 was reportedly withdrawn from the accounts of seven students.
The matter was reported, and a case docket was subsequently transferred to the Hawks for further investigation, leading to the arrest.
The suspect is scheduled to appear before the Rustenburg Magistrates Court on Thursday, 04 December 2025.
