POLOKWANE – A 68-year-old pastor appeared before the Polokwane Magistrate’s Court today (May 5) for allegedly furnishing false information to the police.

According to the Limpopo police spokesperson Col Malesela Ledwaba, the pastor went to the Westenburg police station on Friday (May 2) to report a carjacking that allegedly occurred on the R37 road on April 11.

“The pastor claimed that at around 09:00 that morning, he had picked up two hitchhikers en route to Polokwane in a Daihatsu Terios and that the men hijacked him at gunpoint. He further alleged that the vehicle was later recovered along the R37 without a gearbox,” Ledwaba said.

However, during the investigation, police discovered the vehicle had not been hijacked, but had rather broken down and was taken to a scrapyard in the Lebowakgomo policing area.

“An investigation was conducted and led the police to a scrapyard in Lebowakgomo. The owner of the scrapyard informed the police that the suspect requested the service of a tow truck after his car broke down because of gearbox failure,” he explained.

Ledwaba added that the vehicle was driven by the pastor’s personal driver and that the pastor had paid half the costs for the gearbox repair before it was stolen.

“The suspect later changed his tune to confirm that the carjacking never took place and he was arrested for furnishing false information,” he said.

The acting provincial police commissioner Major General Samuel Manala commended the officers for their work.

“These kinds of false reports stretch our resources unnecessarily and deny real victims the prompt assistance they deserve,” he said.