Durban - The Hawks have welcomed the seven-year jail term handed down to 32-year-old Nomfundo Petronella Sambo by the Nelspruit Regional Court for a litany of charges including concealing her real identity, pretending to be the niece of Deputy President David Mabuza and falsely implicating him in a conspiracy to commit murder.
Hawks spokesperson Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi said that Sambo would serve an effective seven years imprisonment after she pleaded guilty on all charges on August 5.
“These charges included concealing her real identity and using the pseudonym of “Thandeka Mabuza” and masquerading as the Deputy President’s niece, for which she was sentenced to 5 years imprisonment without an option of a fine.
“The court also found her guilty for opening a false kidnapping, theft and robbery case at Low's Creek SAPS, where she claimed that she lost a work laptop and R4,000 in cash and for this she was sentenced to seven years imprisonment without an option of a fine,” said Mulaudzi.
He added that a further six years imprisonment had been imposed on Sambo for a fraudulent purchase of furniture valued at R28000 at Russells, Hazeview.
He added that Sambo had made startling false allegations in an affidavit that Deputy President David Mabuza was, on 5 November 2018, conspiring to murder a business person with interests in ecotourism.
“The incident is purported to have happened in the police precinct of Sandton, which resulted in the opening of a criminal docket at Sandton Police Station.
“The Hawks investigation later found that the Deputy President was not in the country at the time of the offence. It became clear that the statement may not have been truthful but a possible fabrication, including her relationship with the Deputy President,” Mulaudzi said.
Sambo was arrested in March 2019 and later released on R3000 bail, however her bail was withdrawn when she did not attend the subsequent court appearances and she remained in police custody until her sentencing, Mulaudzi added.
Political Bureau