Sponsored Links:
Independent Newspapers
South African Nolubabalo Nobanda says she has been appointed a lawyer in Bangkok and is awaiting her next appearance in court.
Grahamstown - After at least a month and a half of having no contact with her family, South African drug mule Nolubabalo Nobanda has written to her parents from prison in Bangkok, Thailand.
In letters, shown to Sapa, Nobanda has written to her family revealing critical information of how she landed up in Thailand.
Nobanda also wrote that she would not be charged by Bangkok authorities for the baking powder which was found mixed with the cocaine, when she was arrested.
Nobanda was arrested at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport after getting off a Qatar Airways flight. Police said they noticed a white substance in her hair. They found 1.5kg of cocaine with an estimated street value of R1.2-million in her dreadlocks. She admitted to authorities that she smuggled the drugs and said she was hired to deliver the cocaine to a customer at a hotel in Bangkok.
Since then she has been detained in prison waiting for her formal court appearance on March 19.
In a letter received by her family this week, Nobanda wrote that she was in good spirits and upbeat about the coming trial since she would only be charged for attempting to smuggle 600g of cocaine rather than the initial 1.5kg as earlier reported.
This could considerably reduce her sentence.
In her latest letter this week, Nobanda told her parents that she was appointed a Bangkok state lawyer.
The family said it would also be sending a legal adviser and a family member to comfort Nobanda during her court appearance in March.
“I can confirm to you that a family member will travel to attend the trial and we are communicating with the South African embassy that side,” Nobanda's mother Honjiswa Mbewu said.
In the emotional letter, Nobanda asked her family for their understanding and forgiveness.
“First and probably the most important thing I want to say is I'm sorry to all of you. I know that I have disappointed, hurt and humiliated the whole family. I ask for forgiveness,” Nobanda wrote.
In her letter, Nobanda also indicated that she was coping in prison and praying for a safe return home.
“I try to stay strong and ask of God to strengthen me every day. The bottom line is, in life one has to pay for the mistakes they make and I have come to accept my punishment. My only regret now is that you also have to suffer because of my mistakes,” she wrote.
Nobanda also admitted in one of her letters that she was used as a decoy, because she had refused to collaborate with a drug syndicate in Brazil.
In fear of what might happen to her and her family, she decided to board a plane to Bangkok, where she was caught. - Sapa
|
|
Anonymous, wrote
i feel sori for babsie and i hope she finds her closure with God,as for our tyouth i hope they will learn from her mistake
Anonymous, wrote
correspondent, wrote
tt, wrote
kk, wrote
u r stil young mara what ere u thinking. eish u really embarrased u family throughout the world gal
JFT, wrote
Anonymous, wrote
Carol, wrote
@VTM I aint listening either. I have had my fair share of family members letting me down so i know all about it, but to supply drugs which invaribly go to the youth of the country is another story. Why dont you go and speak to some parents who have lost their children due to drugs!
spoko, wrote
This is what happens when you trying to leave a life that you are lazy to work for ......high life ...you are trying to keep up with the "jones" .......work hard people as real work pays dividends and not baking powder
loudblaqgirl, wrote
Tumi, wrote
No parents deserves to go through this, We are all human beings we make mistakes. She needs to learn from her mistake and be strong, at least she is taking resposibility of her own her own actions by apologising instead of lying n cryin for being set up, I pray for her return. Nobanda's Family stay strong.
JFT, wrote
@VTM, hard is life! I'd rather sacrifice a few to make the world a better place. Instead, we don't implement the death penalty and many more die because people literaly get away with murder. tell your sob story to someone else. I ain't listening!
conny, wrote
this whole thing is a mess,here in SA lots of outsiders cum nd go bringing heavy stuff,influencing our kids,husbands even leave their pay cheques in drug dealers but no one has been caught and went 4 sentences or got a punishment that we will be satisfied with.Nobanda had her reasons too,i really feel 4 her,hope she lent her lesson.
ANONYMOUS2, wrote
We seem to have a lot of Deputy Jesus Christs like seriously who are you to judge............we all make mistakes and she's paying the price and aknowledging her faults and people seem to forget in life you dont know what tommoro will bring you. That gal got a family and people who knows her when they read what you spectators write what do you think it feels like. Remember she's not the only one in pain and i find it sickenning that so many people can find joy and be so insensitive about this. for Gods sake she's not even gonna see what you writing and possible the people who will see it its her loved ones. So if you've got nothing positive to say save it and give it a name RUBBISH keep it till she comes back.
Anonymous, wrote
Can she be trusted , is her story true a criminal has to learn to earn peoples trust if they dont learn they will get deeper in to the evil they do. Whether you get punished or not if you dont realise you betrayed peoples trust and are responsible for your evil actions you will stay and die a evil person. For your sake lets hope you mean you are sorry.
VTM, wrote
@Carol and Jft wait until it comes to your so clean,no mistakes or problem family...Then you will feel the pain.
Anonymous, wrote
All you righteous critics who wants death penalties and criticising a sincere apology of a person who is already paying for her sins, just wait and see when turn comes to pay for stealing, adultery, speeding, drunken driving, SARS, etc. Only God can judge. Who the hell are you to judge somebody who is willing to repent. If only you knew how some ended in this business you'd stop judging because tomorrow it could be own damn daughter.
Mlu, wrote
The real drugs were passing through whilst her baking powder-mixed coke was being removed from her hair. A gram of coke in Thailand is equivalent to 2 years in jail. Now multiply that by 300.I would rather opt for death sentence.
JFT, wrote
@Carol, very good point! We need the death penalty in South Africa. We had countless drug mules cought here last year. They know they will get off lightly so they don't think twice!
carol, wrote
can i just say that if you were not caught.... there would be no realising your "mistakes" because you would be right out there doing it again.. You are only sorry that you got CAUGHT! I have no sympathy for drug smugglers, you are killing our youth with your greed!!!!
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Services
Buying a car has never been easy. Motoring.co.za contains a large database of car listings with a user friendly search.
Start searching today »
Business Directory
You are here: IOL / News / Crime & Courts / Nobanda apologises to her family
We like to make your life easier
Mobile
Browse IOL on your phone at m.iol.co.za.
Newsletters
Subscribe to our newsletters. News delivered to your inbox!
Comment Guidelines