eMbalenhle Police warn against perjury and defamation

A man from eMbalenhle was charged with perjury after the police learnt that he had opened a false case last month.

According to Constable Busi Mthethwa, eMbalenhle police spokesperson, the man falsely reported a burglary.

Mthethwa said that during the investigation, the police interviewed the complainant and the man accused of the burglary.

The accused told investigators that the complainant owed him money and tried to get out of his debt by claiming a false burglary. The complainant did not deny this and was arrested and charged.

Mthethwa warned the community against opening false cases and said the police would arrest and charge anyone doing so.

“The police have a responsibility to fight crime with limited resources, and we cannot allow those resources to be used negligently by some community members.

“We will arrest those who are misusing them, and they will face the might of the law,” warned Mthethwa.

She also warned against distributing misleading information about crime on social media platforms.

She said there is a post circulating on Facebook in which an individual claims his child was raped. A photo of the alleged perpetrator is attached to the post.

“The community needs to know that crime must be reported to the police station and not on social media platforms.

“We followed up on the post. The man whose photo was published is known in the community, but no one has come forward about any crime. This is defamation of a person’s character and it is a punishable criminal offence,” said Mthethwa.

“We warn people against writing false information, especially relating to crime, that they will be arrested and charged,” said Mthethwa.

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