David Mabuza 'exonerated' after sentencing of woman who claimed to be his niece and tried to frame him

• Deputy President David Mabuza has welcomed the sentence handed down to a woman who pretended to be his niece.
• Nomfundo Petronella Sambo, 32, will serve an effective seven years after she pleaded guilty. She tried to frame him for conspiracy to commit murder.
• Mabuza said he felt exonerated by the sentencing and that the matter had been used to smear him.

Deputy President David Mabuza has welcomed the sentence handed down to a woman who pretended to be his niece and tried to frame him for conspiracy to commit murder. She also opened a false kidnapping case and claimed her laptop and R4 000 in cash were stolen.

Nomfundo Petronella Sambo, 32, will serve an effective seven years behind bars after she pleaded guilty on 5 August to all the charges against her.

Mabuza's spokesperson, Matshepo Seedat, said it was only natural that the deputy president felt exonerated because the matter had been used to smear him.

She said Mabuza was pleased that the matter has been finalised.

Sambo used the pseudonym Thandeka Mabuza and masqueraded as Mabuza's niece – an offence for which she was sentenced to five years in prison without the option of a fine, said Hawks spokesperson Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi.

For the false kidnapping case, she was sentenced to seven years' imprisonment without the option of a fine. A further six years were imposed for the fraudulent purchase of furniture valued at R28 000 from Russells, Hazyview.

False allegations

Mulaudzi said: "She made startling false allegations in an affidavit that Deputy President Mabuza was, on 5 November 2018, conspiring to murder an ecotourism business person. 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."

"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."

Sambo was arrested in March 2019 and released on R3 000 bail.

Her bail was withdrawn when she did not attend subsequent court appearances and she remained in police custody until her sentencing on Tuesday.

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