Dora Waseem accused George Maimela of raping her. It is believed that the two went to his home in December 2016 after visiting a tavern in the Bela-Bela township, accor-ding to police.
Shortly thereafter Waseem opened a case of rape against Maimela and he was charged for the crime.
The Modimolle regional court found Mai-mela guilty on a charge of rape in September 2017 and was due to sentence him in January this year.
Maimela was, however, released after five months in custody when Waseem came for-ward stating that she had lied to the court, according to the police.
She was then charged for perjury and Maimela was released.
WO Johannes Shitlhane, head of the Bela-Bela police’s unit for violence, child protection and sexual offenses, said the court later transferred her case to the Thabazimbi regional court for plea and sentencing.
Waseem was found guilty of perjury and was sentenced on Wednesday 30 May without the choice of a fine.
She will be held at the Kgosi Mampuru Correctional Facility in Pretoria for the next five years for lying to the police, said Shitlhane.
“Rape cases are a priority on national level, but if people lie to the police, they will have to face the consequences,” said Shitlhane.
“In the case of Waseem, resources was wasted and a man went through this ordeal unnecessarily. People must report genuine cases to the police and not lie.”
