Woman who implicated David Mabuza in murder plot jailed for her lies

A 32-year-old woman who told numerous lies about deputy president David Mabuza will spend the next few years behind bars.

The Hawks on Wednesday said 32-year-old Nomfundo Petronella Sambo's fabrications had ranged from claiming to be the niece of the deputy president to implicating him in a murder plot.

“She made startling false allegations in an affidavit that deputy president Mabuza was on November 5 2018 conspiring to murder an eco-tourism businessperson. The alleged 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,” said Hawks spokesperson Brig Hangwani Mulaudzi.

As she carried out this crime, Sambo had walked into a police station and alleged that she was Thandeka Mabuza — the deputy president’s niece.

Sambo said she had stumbled upon Mabuza's murder plot while helping at his house. She said while there, she came across his diary that detailed a plot to assassinate Fred Daniels, a Mpumalanga-based conservationist.

“The Hawks investigation later found that the deputy president was not in the country at the time of the alleged offence. It became clear that the statement may not have been truthful but a possible fabrication, including her relationship with the deputy president,” he added.

Besides lying about her identity and non-existent murder plots, Sambo also lied about being a victim of kidnapping. She also took on other identities as she opened theft cases and took on debt at stores in Nelspruit.

“The Nelspruit regional court found her guilty on a charge of opening a false case of kidnapping, theft and robbery at Low's Creek SAPS, where she claimed that she lost a work laptop and R4,000 in cash. For this she was sentenced to seven years' imprisonment without the option of a fine. A further six years' imprisonment was imposed on her for a fraudulent purchase of furniture valued at R28,000 at Russells, Hazyview,” Mulaudzi said.

For masquerading as Mabuza’s niece, she was sentenced to five years. Sambo, who had pleaded guilty to all the charges, will serve an effective seven years behind bars.

When the case was concluded on Tuesday, Sambo had already been in prison for a few months. The court had revoked her bail during the trial when she missed court appearances. The police tracked her down and rearrested her.

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