MBOMBELA – A 22-year-old man appeared in the White River Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, November 29, on a charge of perjury. He was arrested after reporting a false case at the White River Police Station on Monday, November 26,  in which he claimed that six firearms had been stolen from his residence.

In his statement, the man alleged that he was accosted by three assailants in his house in the early hours of Monday morning. One allegedly threatened him with a knife to the throat, demanding he show them the safe, from which they then took the firearms and fled the scene.

Police opened a case of house robbery and immediately launched an investigation. It then emerged that the weapons had, in fact, not been robbed, but were hidden by the suspect. The team managed to recover eight firearms, of which four were found hidden in a bush nearby and another four retrieved from a dam by the diving unit. The suspect was arrested for giving a false statement under oath. The motive for his actions is still a mystery.

The suspect was remanded in custody pending his formal bail application on December 5, 2018.

The Provincial Commissioner for Police in Mpumalanga, Lt Gen Mondli Zuma, warned the community to refrain from reporting false cases. Not only does it constitute an offence, but it also divert limited police resources away from where they are needed most,” Zuma said.

Submitted by: Col Bhembe
Editor: Anchen Coetzee
Subeditor: Lynette Brink
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