By Thapelo Molefe
The Hawks have re-arrested a 29-year-old suspect, Luthuli Sihle, linked to an alleged university admission fraud and corruption scheme at Walter Sisulu University.
Sihle was re-arrested on Wednesday and appeared before the Mthatha Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on the same day after a warrant for his arrest was issued when he failed to appear in court on 4 May.
According to the Hawks, the case relates to allegations dating back to March 2023 during the peak registration period at the university’s Health and Science Faculty.
“It is alleged that the accused, who was entrusted with responsibilities relating to student registration and administrative assistance at the time, exploited his position of authority and access to institutional processes for personal financial gain,” the Hawks said in a statement on Thursday.
Police allege that Sihle approached parents seeking placement opportunities for their child and falsely claimed he could secure admission at the university in exchange for payment.
“It is further alleged that he demanded and received an amount of R25 000 in exchange for facilitating the capturing of the prospective student into the university registration system,” the Hawks said.
The victim allegedly transferred the money into a Capitec Bank account purportedly belonging to the accused on 13 March 2023.
Despite the payment, the student was allegedly never admitted to the institution. The parents later raised concerns with university management, leading to the matter being reported to police and referred to the Hawks’ Serious Corruption Investigation unit in Mthatha.
Investigators conducted what the Hawks described as “an extensive inquiry into the alleged unlawful transaction” before Sihle was initially arrested on 19 September 2024.
He was granted R2,000 bail and had been appearing in court until his failure to appear earlier this month.
The Hawks said his non-appearance “constituted a direct disregard for judicial authority and resulted in the court authorising a warrant for his arrest”.
The matter was postponed to next week Thursday for further court proceedings. Sihle remains out on bail.
