KURUMAN – An 18-year-old woman from Kuruman has been arrested for perjury after falsely accusing an off-duty police constable of rape because he did not pay her the agreed R400 for consensual sex.

The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) arrested the woman on Friday 25 September, after she told an investigator that she had filed a false statement because the 24-year-old constable from the Kimberley-based SAPS Vehicle Investigation Unit failed to pay her following their consensual encounter at a guest house in Kuruman on Wednesday 23 September.

The constable was arrested on Thursday 24 September and charged with rape. The charge was withdrawn in court on Friday after the woman admitted the accusation was false.

Court appearance

The woman appeared before the Kuruman Magistrate’s Court on Friday and was released on warning. Her case was remanded to Friday 16 October to allow her to obtain legal aid.

A case of perjury was opened against her for deliberately lying under oath and abusing state resources.

No tolerance

IPID said the woman’s actions undermined the integrity of the justice system and diverted critical investigative capacity away from genuine cases.

The directorate warned that false reporting would not be tolerated and that decisive action would be taken against individuals who attempted to misuse the justice system for personal gain.