Mpumalanga teenager charged with perjury after faking rape

06 June 2025 - 13:33 By Khodani Mpilo
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A 16-year-old girl has been charged with perjury after falsely reporting she was raped while hitchhiking in Mpumalanga. Stock photo.
A 16-year-old girl has been charged with perjury after falsely reporting she was raped while hitchhiking in Mpumalanga. Stock photo.
Image: 123rf

A 16-year-old girl has been charged with perjury after her claim about being raped proved to be fabricated.

During the police investigation it was established no rape had occurred.

“The girl eventually confessed she had visited a male friend and, fearing her parents’ reaction, chose to lie about being raped,” said Mpumalanga police spokesperson Lt-Col Jabu Ndubane.

In her original report, the teenager alleged she was hitchhiking from Dullstroom (Emnothweni) to Lydenburg (Mashishing) when a black VW Polo with two male occupants speaking English offered her a lift.

She claimed after passing Coromandel, the driver diverted into a secluded area, where she was rendered unconscious by a cloth with a chemical smell. On regaining consciousness, she claimed the passenger was raping her. He offered her money, which she refused.

“The claims have since been proven false by the investigating officers.”

TimesLIVE


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