‘Victim’ of false hijacking charged with perjury

Cape Town Central police are warning the public against opening false cases after a man was arrested for faking a hijacking in Gardens last week.

Detective Warrant Officer Shaun Bardien said he followed up a case on Wednesday May 8. A man reported that he had been hijacked on the corner of Buitenkant and Mill streets.

“The man said he was at the traffic light, driving towards the CBD from Buitenkant Street when he saw a man at the intersection and a white Avanza with hazards on at around 7pm.

“He said before he knew it, another white car appeared and closed in on him and a man got into his car, pointed a firearm at him, told him to lay down and drove away with him.”

According to the complainant, they drove with him to Philippi and he fought his way out, waved down a police vehicle and then gave chase. The police allegedly didn’t catch the hijackers. The complainant was driving his company vehicle.

On Friday May 10, the complainant accompanied Warrant Officer Bardien to the scene of the reported hijacking and he noticed a camera at a nearby business.

“I viewed the footage over and over and I saw no incident.”

After confronting the complainant, the man admitted to having lied about the incident because he had apparently visited his girlfriend in Philippi with the company vehicle and had been in an accident. The man was arrested for perjury and use of a vehicle without the owners’ consent. The vehicle was recovered, but was damaged and appeared to have been stripped. The man will appear in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Monday June 6.

Cape Town Central police spokesperson Captain Ezra October warned the public to not open false cases or give false statements under oath.

“People opening cases will be taken to the crime scene and facts and footage will be checked. You will also have a criminal record that will affect your future.”

He said lying to police will affect statistics and how resources are allocated. “