NORTHERN CAPE. — An 18-year-old woman from Kuruman was arrested on Friday by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) after she allegedly filed a false rape complaint against a police constable.
Lizzy Suping, IPID spokesperson, said the constable, attached to Kimberley's vehicle examination unit, was arrested on Thursday. The alleged rape occurred on 23 September at a guest house in Kuruman. On Friday, before the constable's court appearance, the woman admitted to the investigator that she had made a false statement. According to IPID, she said she had filed the complaint because the constable had failed to pay the agreed R400 to her after their alleged consensual sexual encounter. A case of perjury has been opened against the woman for the alleged intentional false statement under oath and abuse of state resources.
The rape case against the constable has been withdrawn in court. The woman appeared in the Kuruman magistrate's court on Friday and was released on a warning. The case has been postponed to 16 October to allow her the opportunity to obtain legal aid. IPID warned that false reports will not be tolerated and that action will be taken against those allegedly attempting to abuse the justice system for personal gain.
This article is an automatic English translation of a Nuusflits article originally published in Afrikaans. Read the Afrikaans original.
