SAPS Cracks Down on Perjury Cases, Arrests 4 for Staging Kidnapping and 1 for False Hijacking Claim
- The South African Police Service has warned citizens against reporting false cases as they would be charged with perjury
- Police recently arrested four people after they opened a case following a staged kidnapping and robbery in Gauteng
- A taxi driver also found himself in hot water after he falsely reported that he was hijacked and had his money stolen
Source: Getty Images
The South African Police Service (SAPS) is tired of community members trying their luck by reporting false cases.
SAPS has had to deal with two cases of late where citizens knowingly lied to police under oath.
Gauteng Police Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Tommy Mthombeni has now warned community members that there will be consequences for those caught willfully lying or misrepresenting under oath.
"Community members are urged to refrain from opening false cases at police stations. Perjury is an offence that is punishable by law. We will not tolerate any misuse of State resources," Lt Gen Mthombeni said.
PAY ATTENTION: Briefly News is now on YouTube! Check out our interviews on Briefly TV Life now!
Four arrested for false kidnapping case
Mthombeni's warning comes after four people were arrested on Friday, 17 January 2025, for reporting a false case of kidnapping.
The quartet were arrested after a case of kidnapping was reported at the Soshanguve Police Station on 14 January 2025. Police immediately responded and, after a few hours, found the alleged victims unharmed by a bus next to New Nkandla informal settlement near Stinkwater.
The victims claimed they were taken by a group of unknown men in a white taxi. They told police that the suspects transferred money from their bank accounts before robbing them of their cell phones.
Police investigations revealed that three of the alleged victims staged the kidnapping to rob the fourth person. The fourth person was the aunt of one of the suspects. The driver of the taxi was also traced and arrested, along with the three alleged victims.
One of the people arrested was a Crime Prevention Warden. They will appear in court on Monday, 20 January, on charges of perjury, defeating the ends of justice, conspiracy to commit a crime, theft of cash, and extortion.
Source: Getty Images
Taxi driver opens false hijacking case
In a separate incident, a 27-year-old taxi driver was arrested after he opened a false hijacking case at the Musina police station.
The driver alleged that on 15 January, he was travelling in a Toyota Tazz to collect children from a school in Musina. He claimed that the suspects robbed him of R3,000 cash before fleeing.
"When the complainant was interrogated further, he reportedly told police he was not hijacked but had misused the money he was supposed to give to his boss," spokesperson Lt-Col Stephen Thakeng said.
The man then led police to where he hid the vehicle. He was charged with perjury.
It's not just ordinary citizens who are guilty of perjury; sometimes, politicians are also accused of it. On 28 August 2021, former SASSA minister Bathabile Dlamini was charged with perjury. The charges related to testimony during an inquiry into her role in the crisis of social grants.
Deputy President Paul Mashatile was also accused of perjury in March 2023, but the African National Congress defended him.
Woman arrested for faking her kidnapping
In a related article, a Durban woman was arrested for faking her kidnapping and trying to extort money from her husband.
Briefly News reported that the woman was charged with perjury and appeared in the Verulam Magistrate's Court on 5 April 2023.
South Africans were not impressed with her antics, slamming her for playing with their emotions and her husbands.
PAY ATTENTION: Follow Briefly News on Twitter and never miss the hottest topics! Find us at @brieflyza!
Source: Briefly News
