A man has been charged with perjury after claiming to have witnessed the killing of a British doctor who died during a taxi strike last year.
Also read: British doctor shot and killed in front of family during taxi strike
Sithembele April appeared before the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Friday.
He is charged with four counts of undermining the ends of justice. The specifics of the charges were not disclosed.
Kar Hao Teoh, a 40-year-old Essex surgeon, was travelling on the N2 on August 10 when he decided to take a different route since the road was closed by protesting taxi drivers.
He took the incorrect path and ended up in a Nyanga informal village, where he was shot dead.
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April claimed he was in the shooter’s car at the time and that the assassin was a prominent Santaco taxi association figure. He said he was recruited to assassinate another cab boss, but that did not happen; instead, the doctor was shot and died.
He claimed he came forward as a witness following the incident a year ago. But last month, he received a summons to appear in court.
‘I was hired to shoot someone in Santaco by a taxi boss during the taxi strike. I arrived in Cape Town and then drove with the taxi boss, who then shot someone whom he thought was an e-hailing driver. But it turned out it was the British doctor. I told the police this but nothing has happened with the case and I was charged for perjury.’
April said he had proof that there was communication from the taxi boss.
‘He communicated with a middle man who has since been killed and told him that a wrong person was shot and it was not an e-hailing person but a British tourist, I’m not lying about this. I’m not scared to say this.’
‘When I told the police this, I was offered a bribe. It was then quiet for a while and then new detectives came and told me I had to appear in court – at the time I didn’t know why and only heard here in court that I would be charged for perjury.’
There has been no arrest for the tourist’s murder.
When the matter was brought up, the accused informed the court that he could not understand English, but an interpreter was not present.
When the magistrate gave him his rights and invited him to select an attorney, he chose a Legal Aid lawyer.
Following his appearance, he was brought to Cape Town Central police station and formally charged with obstructing the course of justice.
The case was postponed to 17 September for further investigation and to obtain the services of an interpreter.
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Picture: @Am_Blujay / Twitter
