By Johnathan Paoli
A major police operation is underway at the home of suspended Deputy National Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Shadrack Sibiya, where his arrest is believed to be imminent.
Heavily armed officers, some masked and carrying automatic rifles, were seen entering the Centurion property on Thursday afternoon.
A helicopter hovered overhead as members of a specialised task team surrounded his plush residence.
At the time of the raid on Thursday morning, Sibiya was not at home.
But when he eventually arrived later in the day, Sibiya told reporters outside his house that he was under surveillance and could no longer trust any unfamiliar car parked nearby and was unsure whether it was a team monitoring his movements or a real threat to his life.
“You know, I have been under surveillance. Remember, we are under siege here. There are helicopters, there’s surveillance left and right and cars without registration numbers. Today the media is here. My house has now been exposed to the public. This is an abuse of power. Today the media is here. Yesterday [Wednesday], there was a black [BMW] X3 there,” he said, pointing to the end of the street.
“And as you come out, you see a car there, and another car there. So, I mean, this is what I have to live with at this present moment.”
He said he has been expecting his arrest for quite some time now.
“I was under the impression that it was going to happen. General [Nhlanhla] Mkhwanazi said yesterday that it is imminent. It has been imminent since last year, so I am still waiting [for my arrest],” said Sibiya.
Asked why the police were at his house, Sibiya said they were conducting a search and seizure operation.
He added that he was not home when it happened.
“They came to conduct a search and seizure. I was expecting them. They were look for gadgets and cellphones belonging to everyone in the yard. I gave them what they needed. They are after gadgets such as laptops. There is nothing in the laptop. I gave them three or four cellphones,” he said.
His family was inside the house during the search and seizure raid.
When asked if they were okay, Sibiya said they were traumatised by the “Hollywood-style” raid on his property.
“They were traumatised by the heavily armed task team members. I wish my colleagues would think about my kids and my family; they have not done anything wrong to deserve this. I know they want to push me out. But I will never resign. They must fire me,” Sibiya told reporters.
“I am very hurt. I have been called a criminal. I have been called stupid. I feel like Joseph, whose brothers threw him into the pit. For my colleagues to betray me like this – it cuts deep. The last time I saw the National Commissioner [Fannie Masemola], we were fine. Now I’ve been served with notice to appear before a disciplinary hearing and to testify before the Madlanga Commission and the Ad Hoc Committee in Parliament.”
Speculation has mounted that the bid to arrest Sibiya was linked to allegations of defeating the ends of justice, reportedly involving the handling of sensitive case dockets.
The matter is believed to form part of ongoing probes aired before both Parliament’s ad hoc committee and the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry into policing and corruption.
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