By Johnathan Paoli
The alleged rape and sexual assault case against suspended Lieutenant-General Shadrack Sibiya has been postponed to September 29, when his bail application is expected to resume.
Sibiya briefly appeared in the Randburg Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday facing charges linked to the alleged sexual grooming of a 16-year-old girl and the alleged rape of an 18-year-old woman.
Sibiya, the suspended deputy national commissioner, is being held at the Kgosi Mampuru II Correctional Centre in Pretoria.
The State and defence did not oppose the proceedings being broadcast, subject to restrictions, but the application could not proceed because the matter started late in the day.
Police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said before Sibiya’s appearance that the State expected the matter to be postponed to allow for further investigations.
“We are expecting a postponement of seven days, obviously, for further investigations and so on, but let us not preempt what will unfold before the court,” she said.
“We are still calling on all the women in South Africa. It doesn’t necessarily have to relate to this particular case, but all victims of gender-based violence and femicide who were previously perhaps afraid to report or hesitant to report their cases to come forward.”
Sibiya was arrested on Monday night by members of the Commissions Recommendations Task Team (CRTT), which conducted an undercover investigation because of his senior rank and the sensitivity of the allegations.
The case involves allegations that Sibiya sexually groomed the 16-year-old between July and August 2026 and raped the 18-year-old at a Sandton hotel in May.
Mathe said the allegations were being treated seriously by police and stressed that Sibiya remained entitled to the presumption of innocence.
“This is a person that is entrusted with serving and protecting the people of this country, particularly women and children. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Everyone is innocent until they are proven guilty before a court of law,” she said.
“But I think our stance is very clear: We will not tolerate GBVF within our ranks.”
Mathe said the allegation involving a minor was particularly concerning because of the responsibility placed on police officers to protect vulnerable people.
“Children are the most vulnerable members of society. They depend on adults to protect them. They depend on institutions like the SAPS to protect them, and they depend on police officers to intervene when their rights have been violated,” she said.
“Any allegation involving sexual exploitation or grooming of a child, [or] the rape of an 18-year-old girl, must therefore be treated with the utmost seriousness.”
Mathe said investigators could not rule out the possibility of additional victims coming forward.
Meanwhile, a close associate of Sibiya, pastor Lazarus Maumela, claimed outside court that the suspended general was being targeted as part of a succession battle within the SAPS.
“I want you to reason in this particular matter, a person who is suspended, a person who has been seriously scrutinised, a person who is in the limelight of a wrong thing, would ever do that and go and commit those things that is alleged that they have done? I don’t think so,” he said.
Maumela said he was with Sibiya at a Sandton restaurant when the arrest took place. He questioned why Sibiya had not been arrested earlier if the alleged rape occurred in May.
“If the general indeed had done this, and they allege that it happened in May, why was he not arrested then? What was it that we were waiting for?” he asked.
Maumela also alleged that Sibiya’s arrest was linked to a succession contest within the police service, but acknowledged that he had no evidence to support his claim that the allegations were fabricated.
Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia condemned the alleged offences while emphasising Sibiya’s right to due process.
“A police officer, and particularly a senior police officer, is entrusted with enormous responsibility to protect members of the public, uphold the law and safeguard the rights and dignity of women and children,” Cachalia said.
“Where allegations of sexual offences are made against a member of the Service, they must be investigated without fear or favour, irrespective of the rank or position of the individual concerned.”
Sibiya will remain in custody until the bail application resumes on September 29.
INSIDE POLITICS
