A 26-year-old woman has been charged with perjury after fabricating claims about the kidnapping of her non-existent baby.

Zululand Observer reports the woman opened a kidnapping case at Melmoth Police Station on Saturday, claiming her three-month-old baby had been snatched by three men in KwaMagwaza.

KZN police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said a search team comprising various role players was dispatched to search for the child.

However, after hours of extensive searching, it came to light that the woman had lied about the kidnapping – she never had a child.

“The investigation revealed that the woman had lied to her boyfriend and his family about being pregnant and giving birth. The same woman had told her own family she had had a miscarriage. She was arrested and charged with perjury,” said Netshiunda.

Another woman charged with perjury this month

Netshiunda said this was the second woman to be charged with perjury this month.

“A 21-year-old woman will appear in the Madadeni Magistrate’s Court after she lied under oath that she was raped by her uncle. It was later discovered that she was lying. The uncle in question is already in custody after being arrested for raping his 15-year-old niece at Blaaubosch in Madadeni,” he said.

Netshiunda warned that reporting a false case is a criminal offence in itself.

“Police will ensure that those who waste limited resources are met with the full wrath of the law. The time police spend opening imaginary cases and investigating non-existent criminal cases could be spent preventing, combatting and investigating genuine cases opened by real victims of crime,” he said.

Police and CPF warn of wasted resources

Police officers told The Witness that fake cases drain resources urgently needed for genuine emergencies.

“When we are notified of a kidnapping, a joint operations committee is set up. A negotiator is called in, detectives are assigned, technology is used to track leads, and vehicles are deployed.

“When it turns out to be fake, it is a massive waste of manpower and resources,” said one officer, adding that extortion is often a motive.

“The greed for money drives many fake kidnappings. We urge community members not to open false cases,” the officer added.

Mountain Rise community policing forum (CPF) chairperson Sham Govender said many missing-persons cases also turn out to be false alarms.

“Fake cases are a huge issue. We treat all missing-persons reports as serious, only to find later it was a domestic dispute or the person left voluntarily. These incidents can create complacency when real cases occur,” said Govender.

Impact of fake cases

Lifeline director Sinikwe Biyela said their organisation has dealt with two false kidnapping cases, often linked to financial desperation, attention-seeking, or attempts to cover up other problems.

“Some use fake kidnappings to escape debt or family conflict. Others may lie to cover up cheating or other unacceptable behaviour.

“The impact is serious: SAPS resources are wasted, genuine kidnapping victims may not receive urgent attention, and communities may become desensitised.

“Those who file false reports should be prosecuted to send a strong message that this behaviour is unacceptable,” said Biyela.

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