SAPS Confirms No Evidence Linking Nhlamulo Sambo's Death to March and March Campaign
- The South African Police Service confirmed it was investigating the circumstances surrounding teenager Nhlamulo Sambo's death
- Acting Western Cape provincial commissioner Major General L Damoyi said no evidence linked the killing directly to the March and March campaign
- The response came in a letter addressed to the anti-immigration movement led by Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, who shared the document online
The South African Police Service (SAPS) has responded to questions from the March and March movement over the death of teenager Nhlamulo Sambo, stating that its investigation has found no evidence linking his killing directly to the campaign.
Source: Facebook
Sambo, a 19-year-old from Giyani in Limpopo, was fatally stabbed in the New Rest informal settlement in Mossel Bay on May 31, 2026.
His death triggered public debate after his mother, Patricia Sambo, made an emotional appeal for help, saying she could not afford to transport her son's body from Mossel Bay back to Limpopo for burial.
The family alleged that Nhlamulo was targeted because he was Tsonga and mistaken for a foreign national. His mother and aunt, Nomsa Sambo, rejected the police account, insisting he was removed from a house and attacked by a mob.
SAPS response on Sambo's death
Police, however, maintained that their investigation pointed to an alleged theft-related confrontation rather than an attack motivated by nationality.
The response was contained in a letter shared online by March and March leader Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma.
The letter, dated July 8, 2026, and bearing reference number 26/3/1, was addressed to a member of the March and March Movement in Pretoria.
In the letter, SAPS confirmed that investigations into Sambo's death were ongoing but said there was no indication at that stage that the incident was a direct result of the March and March campaign.
The statement read:
"This office hereby confirms an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of Nhlambulo Sambo. At this stage of the investigation, there is no indication that the death was as a direct result of the March and March campaign and has not released any information to the contrary."
The Facebook post containing the SAPS update on Nhlamulo Sambo's death, shared by Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, is below.
Netizens react to SAPS statement
The response from SAPS received different views from netizens, with some arguing that the statement only showed that the investigation was still ongoing.
@Ground Hog wrote:
"At this stage means the investigation is ongoing. They are just responding to the email sent to them."
Blessing Ngwendeza Dubery commented:
"When a crime lasts for 24 hours without any arrests, just know the big fishes are involved."
@Unnonymous Unnonymous said:
"No doubt these are consequences of what you want. And remember this is only starting point. Time will come."
Honsinkulu Jeffrey Shitlhavani wrote:
"So they clear March and March movement but they don't reveal who killed Nhlamulo, someone will lose his position here, they think we're playing."
Ntate Mathebula added:
"They said March & March killed him because he was a Tsonga. Like come on, can someone kill you because you are Tsong?"
Anti-migrant make force entries in South Africa
YEN.com.gh recently reported that anti-migrant protesters in Johannesburg were captured on video going door-to-door searching homes for suspected undocumented foreign nationals.
The footage showed protesters entering homes in Alexandra township and escorting some people they found to waiting police vehicles.
Source: YEN.com.gh
