THULANI Lubisi (30) had allegedly just come home from work and changed out of his work clothing into shorts and a white vest.
Then, when cops chasing a suspect appeared on the scene, they thought Thulani was their man as he was wearing the same clothing.
He was arrested – and despite alleged discrepancies in court he was sentenced to 15 years in prison for hijacking a car in Pretoria.
That was in 2015, and after all their attempts to appeal against his sentence his family from Tembisa, Ekurhuleni have turned to Daily Sun as their last hope.
Thulani’s parents insist the cops got the wrong man. They say he was at work on the day and at the time the car was hijacked.
“He was working for Ekurhuleni Municipality. There is a time sheet signed by him that shows he was at work. His colleagues can confirm that,” said his father, Themba Lubisi.
“There were so many discrepancies in the case, with conflicting statements and time frames, and yet the magistrate sentenced him. There is no justice in South Africa.
“My son was sentenced to 15 years as a first-time offender.
“The cops explained in court that they chased the car on the R21 until the suspect fled on foot into the kasi, where they lost him.
“They later arrested Thulani, saying he was wearing the same clothes as the hijacker.
“They failed to produce fingerprints that were left in the car, to show that they were similar to my son’s. My son’s signature on the time sheet was disputed.
“The magistrate said somebody must have signed on his behalf, insisting he was not at work on the day of the hijacking.”
“We suspect the magistrate might have been bribed. We want justice. My son is not a hijacker.”
Wits Law Clinic advised the family to get a lawyer to reopen the case and present any new evidence they might have.
The director of public prosecutions promised to look into the matter.
