44-year-old man arrested for claiming he was hijacked after his car was repossessed by the Sheriff

A 44-year-old man was arrested for falsely claiming he was hijacked and his car was stolen after the vehicle was repossessed by the Sheriff.

On Thursday, 10 September 2026, the man opened a case of car hijacking at the Kimberley Police Station.

He alleged that his vehicle had been taken from him by four armed men in Kimberley during the hijacking.

The case docket was assigned to Detective Warrant Officer Anthony Rheeder of the Kimberley Vehicle Crime Investigation Unit (VCIU) for further investigation.

During the preliminary investigation, Rheeder established that the vehicle had been repossessed by the Sheriff of the Court.

The Sheriff repossessed his car because he failed to meet his monthly financial obligations to the bank.

Further investigation revealed that he failed to cooperate with the Sheriff’s Office and subsequently reported the false hijacking to the police.

On Wednesday, 7 October 2026, he was arrested for perjury and expected to appeared in the Kimberley Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, 8 October 2026.

The South African Police Service cautioned members of the public that deliberately opening a false criminal case is a serious offence.

Such incidents unnecessarily consume police and judicial resources, diverting investigators, personnel and funding away from genuine cases.

The SAPS also urged the public to refrain from abusing the criminal justice system by reporting false cases.

“Every false report wastes public resources and takes investigators away from active investigations and may compromise the effective administration of justice,” it said.