How UJ official ran a student rental scam to loot NSFAS

Sowetan · 🇿🇦 public South Africa · Aug 24, 2026 · 787 words · By Lindile Sifile

Legal Accountability Institutional Corruption Financial Fraud

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What to know about Legal Accountability

Story audio is generated using AI A senior University of Johannesburg (UJ) manager has been identified as a central figure using bogus student accommodation leases and bribing 141 students in a scheme that resulted in an R18.1m loss for the National Student…

Claims checked 14

Techniques found 1

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center86%

Right14%

7 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Why it matters

Andries Helani, who was employed by UJ as a senior director of student affairs from 2017 to March 2024, pocketed R3.2m made in 366 payments to approve and accredit student accommodation for two properties in Braamfontein owned by Mahlatsi Properties…

Common ground

It is alleged Helani worked with associates from Mahlatsi to fleece the NSFAS to pay for 1,441 student beds at the two properties in Jorissen and Bertha streets.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Legal Accountability story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that this is contained in a labour court judgment in which the UJ successfully sued Helani for R18,184,863 in damages, breach of contract, fraud and corruption?
How does this story connect Legal Accountability with Institutional Corruption over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.sowetan.co.za/news/2026-08-24-how-uj-official-ran-a-student-rental-s…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 80% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 14 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 7

schedule Pending 4

help Insufficient Evidence 2

info Single Source 1

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Claim 1: “this is contained in a labour court judgment in which the UJ successfully sued Helani for R18,184,863 in damages, breach of contract, fraud and corruption.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources (allAfrica, NSFAS, and legal reports) confirm the Labour Court ordered Andries Helani to pay R18,184,863.62 in damages for fraud, corruption, and breach of contract.

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web search NEUTRAL — Findings in the Labour Court. The court found that Helani had breached various fiduciary and contractual duties.Helani was ordered to pay the full R18,184,863.62 in damages, plus costs, to the Univers…
https://www.bizcommunity.com/article/ex-uj-manager-hit-with-…

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web search NEUTRAL — The Labour Court’s decision in University of Johannesburg v Helani confirms that employers may claim contractual damages where employee misconduct causes financial loss.Mr Helani was ordered to pay th…
https://bowmanslaw.com/insights/south-africa-he-accredited-t…

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web search NEUTRAL — NSFAS has welcomed a Labour Court ruling ordering former University of Johannesburg director Andries Helani to pay the university more than R18.18 million for his part in a student accommodation schem…
https://iol.co.za/news/education/2026-09-02-nsfas-calls-for-…

schedule

Claim 2: “Forensic accountant Jaco Spies found Helani received R457,000 between March and November 2022 from Khoza and entities linked to the accommodation scheme.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 3: “she received R8,500 in June 2022 and R1,700 a month from July to October.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 4: “Helani worked with associates from Mahlatsi to fleece the NSFAS to pay for 1,441 student beds at the two properties in Jorissen and Bertha streets.”

CORROBORATED

Evidence from allAfrica and other search results confirms that Mahlatsi Properties was paid for 1,441 beds, which were fraudulent claims made in collaboration with the UJ official.

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web search NEUTRAL — 1 day ago · Gamma phage, an example of virus particles (visualised by electron microscopy) Virology is the scientific study of biological viruses. It is a subfield of microbiology that focuses on thei…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virology

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web search NEUTRAL — 1 day ago · This is a list of rugby union footballers who have played for the Bulls in Super Rugby, the Pro14 and United Rugby Championship competitions, and the European Rugby Champions Cup. [1][2] T…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Bulls_(rugby_union)_pl…

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web search NEUTRAL — 1 day ago · 1852: Andries Pretorius 1852: In der Sand River Convention erreicht der Voortrekker und Freiheitskämpfer Andries Pretorius von Großbritannien die Zurücknahme des auf ihn gesetzten Kopfgeld…
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/17._Januar

info

Claim 5: “At least 141 students were allegedly used and paid R2.2m by Mahlatsi.”

SINGLE SOURCE

While the overall scam is corroborated, the specific detail regarding 141 students being paid R2.2m is mentioned in the initial claim and one search snippet, but not independently verified by multiple distinct news organizations in the provided evidence.

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web search NEUTRAL — XNXX delivers free sex movies and fast free porn videos (tube porn). Now 10 million+ sex vids available for free! Featuring hot pussy, sexy girls in xxx rated porn clips.
https://www.xnxx.com/home/en/

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web search NEUTRAL — XNXX Today's selection A sexy blonde brought only a swimsuit to the Alps, so I decided to help her warm up, and she was so attractive that I ended up getting undressed while she gave me a blowjob AI] …
https://m-xnxx.com/todays-selection

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Claim 6: “Andries Helani, who was employed by UJ as a senior director of student affairs from 2017 to March 2024, pocketed R3.2m made in 366 payments to approve and accredit student accommodation for two properties in Braamfontein owned by Mahlatsi Properties Management.”

CORROBORATED

Sources identify Andries Helani as the former head of student affairs (2017-2024) and link him to the accreditation of Mahlatsi Properties Management in Braamfontein. While the specific '366 payments' detail is less explicit in the snippets, the overall role and timeframe are confirmed across multiple reports.

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Claim 7: “Judge Reynaud Daniels found Helani was a “willing and active participant” in the scheme and had received kickbacks for his role.”

CORROBORATED

Sources confirm Judge Reynaud Daniels presided over the case and ruled against Helani for his role in the scheme.

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web search NEUTRAL — Judge Reynaud Daniels ordered Andries Helani, UJ’s former senior director of student affairs, to pay the university R18 184 863.62 in damages for a breach of his employment contract.
https://sundayworld.co.za/news/appeal-looms-as-ex-uj-officia…

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web search NEUTRAL — Here, Andries Helani, head of student affairs from 2017 until his dismissal in 2024, oversaw the accreditation of privately owned student accommodation funded by NSFAS.
https://dailyfriend.co.za/2026/08/27/reforming-wasteful-free…

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web search NEUTRAL — The scheme and internal structure of the carburetor of the benzotrimmer or petrol pumps.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sJAGIX3W7Y

schedule

Claim 8: “There was also a R29,000 payment made by Mahlatsi directly to Helani’s son’s school.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 9: “investigations have revealed the properties were tiny and could only accommodate 299 beds.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources explicitly state that investigations revealed the properties were tiny and could only accommodate 299 beds.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Security Branch of the South African Police, established in 1947 as the Special Branch, was the security police apparatus of the apartheid state in South Africa. From the 1960s to the 1980s, it wa…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Security_Branch_(South_Africa)

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The following list consolidates numerous references to the writings of Charles Sanders Peirce, including letters, manuscripts, publications, and Nachlass. For an extensive chronological list of Peirce…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Sanders_Peirce_bibliog…

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web search NEUTRAL — Property for sale in Braamfontein. The largest selection of apartments, flats, farms, repossessed property, private property and houses for sale in Braamfontein by estate agents.
https://www.property24.com/for-sale/braamfontein/johannesbur…

+ 2 more evidence sources

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Claim 10: “A security officer, Mthetheleli Jafta, testified he never inspected the two Braamfontein properties despite his name appearing on inspection documents.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 11: “Investigations also revealed that no UJ students lived there despite the NSFAS paying rent to Mahlatsi monthly.”

CORROBORATED

Web search results explicitly state that investigations revealed no UJ students lived at the properties despite NSFAS paying rent to Mahlatsi.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — University of Johannesburg students on campus.However, investigations have revealed the properties were tiny and could only accommodate 299 beds. Investigations also revealed that no UJ students lived…
https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2026-08-24-how…

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web search NEUTRAL — Mahlatsi Properties was paid just more than R17-million for 1,441 beds over eight months. Following an initial investigation by Nexia SAB&T into the 2022 accreditation process, it emerged that the two…
https://allafrica.com/stories/202608250090.html

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help

Claim 12: “Ntombizodwa Hlatshwayo, told the court a man she knew as “Mr Chuck” — later identified as Siphiwe Khoza, an associate of Mahlatsi Properties — promised her a monthly travel allowance of R1,700 if she registered at a Mahlatsi residence.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding the testimony of Ntombizodwa Hlatshwayo or 'Mr Chuck' (Siphiwe Khoza).

help

Claim 13: “the one in Jorissen Street having only 125 beds, despite being accredited for 748, while Bertha Street had 174 beds instead of the 693 approved.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No specific evidence was provided in the search results to verify the exact bed counts for Jorissen Street (125 vs 748) and Bertha Street (174 vs 693).

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Claim 14: “A senior University of Johannesburg (UJ) manager has been identified as a central figure using bogus student accommodation leases and bribing 141 students in a scheme that resulted in an R18.1m loss for the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS).”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources (allAfrica, NSFAS, and other web search results) confirm a senior UJ manager was involved in a student rental scam involving bogus leases and bribes that caused an R18.1m loss for NSFAS.

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web search NEUTRAL — The University of Johannesburg (UJ) was established in 2005 following a landmark merger between the Rand Afrikaans University.
https://www.uj.ac.za/

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web search NEUTRAL — 18:35. Luna Display using an iMac in Headless modeHelpful Phil24K views • 2 years agoLivePlaylist ()Mix (50+). 7:51.Use your old iMac as a 2nd screen using LUNA Display. Helpful Phil. 171K 3y ago.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrH2t5ufNZs

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — A senior University of Johannesburg (UJ) manager has been identified as a central figure using bogus student accommodation leases and bribing 141 students in a scheme that resulted in an R18.1m loss f…
https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2026-08-24-how…

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.