The husband of the ANC's deputy chief whip, Vusi Dlakude, has appeared in the Nkomazi Magistrate's Court in connection with allegations that he faked a hijacking.
Police are also investigating additional charges after the alleged discovery of a hunting rifle in his car.
Mpumalanga police spokesperson Brigadier Leonard Hlathi confirmed that Dlakude, 49, who is the husband of the ANC deputy chief whip Doris Dlakude, appeared in court on Tuesday on a charge of perjury.
Hlathi said in a media statement that Dlakude had called his parliamentarian wife claiming that he had been hijacked.
Further investigation, however, revealed that Dlakude may have faked the hijacking.
"After the police realised that the information [provided by] the man did not tally, they arrested him for perjury," Hlathi added.
Dlakude ended up spending a night in the police's holding cells instead