Family disputes robbery claim in Mossel Bay teen stabbing
· Citizen
The mother of 18-year-old Nhlamulo Sambo, who was stabbed to death in KwaNonqaba, Mossel Bay, says she does not believe her son was killed during a robbery.
Visit bettingx.club for more information.
Instead, she insists that he was targeted because of his ethnicity.
A 23-year-old man was arrested on Tuesday evening, in connection with the murder of Sambo, whose body was discovered in the New Rest informal settlement in KwaNonqaba at approximately 03:00 on Sunday 31 May 2026.
Mother says her son was killed for being Tsonga, not for stealing
Patricia Sambo, Nhlamulo’s mother, has rejected the police’s account that her son was killed during a robbery gone wrong.
According to various media reports, she alleged that her son was singled out because of his ethnic identity as a Tsonga who could not speak Zulu.
She said she received distressing information when she visited the mortuary.
“Where they stabbed my child, I heard, when I was in the mortuary yesterday, they told me they stabbed my child here at this side of the heart, which means they knew that they were killing my son,” she told broadcaster Eden FM.
“And when they killed my son, I heard that he was [allegedly] explaining that he was Tsonga and had an ID. So, I don’t know why they killed my son.”
Patricia also told eNCA that she was shocked by claims that Nhlamulo had been involved in a theft and dismissed them outright.
She said a woman came to her home and told her to come see her son’s blood, and that Nhlamulo had gone to the woman’s home after being stabbed to ask for help.
According to Patricia, Nhlamulo gave the woman his phone so she could call his mother before he died.
Family contradicts police account of events on the night of the stabbing
The family has given an account of the night’s events that differs significantly from what police have stated publicly.
Patricia and Nhlamulo’s uncle, speaking on eNCA, said the version being told by authorities was incorrect.
“The story they are talking, all is a wrong story, it’s a fake story. The story that they mention. All they mention about my son is a wrong story,” Patricia said during the broadcast.
She maintained that people had gone inside a property, removed Nhlamulo, and left another individual behind before her son was killed elsewhere.
The uncle said the police’s robbery statement was “cooked”.
He added that he had concerns about how the matter was being handled by police leadership.
“There by the police station, the station commander never read anything from the paper. He just speaks it from above. It’s what I can say. I was shocked because I trusted that man was a good commander,” he said.
Arrest made as police investigate Mossel Bay teen’s fatal stabbing
According to the South African Police Service (Saps), paramedics declared Nhlamulo dead at 3:19am.
Warrant Officer Chris Spies, spokesperson of police said Sambo’s body was found with a stab wound to the chest in front of a shack.
Brigadier Novela Potelwa confirmed on 2 June that investigators had been searching for a known suspect since the incident occurred.
On 3 June, the police announced a breakthrough.
“Investigations into the murder of an 18-year-old in KwaNonqaba on Sunday morning, 31 May 2026, have yielded results with the arrest of a 23-year-old man on Tuesday evening in the area,” police said.
“Since the occurrence of the murder, a team of detectives led by local station investigators have been hard at work pursuing leads.”
The arrested suspect is expected to appear in the Mossel Bay Magistrate’s Court once formally charged.
Second boy allegedly present gives account to family
Patricia also revealed that another young man, who was allegedly with Nhlamulo at the time of the incident, had since spoken to the family.
According to her, the boy told them he had been hiding behind a door during the incident, while Nhlamulo had allegedly concealed himself near a cupboard.
The family said the boy provided them with a version of events that differed from the account the police were recording.
Overcome with grief, Patricia expressed the full weight of her pain.
“I don’t know. I’m very hurt. To kill my son like a dog. I am very hurt,” she said.
With two conflicting accounts now on record, police have confirmed they are continuing to investigate.
The family, meanwhile, has called for justice and accountability.