By Johnathan Paoli
Suspended deputy national police commissioner Lieutenant-General Shadrack Sibiya has said that a “succession battle” within the South African Police Service (SAPS), not corruption, lies at the heart of the turmoil surrounding the disbandment of the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT).
Testifying before Parliament’s ad-hoc committee about allegations of criminal infiltration of the justice system on Tuesday evening, Sibiya defended his integrity while under a barrage of questions from various MPs, insisting that the claims made against him by previous witnesses were “false and contrived”.
“The people of South Africa must begin to realise that someone is playing with people’s minds. The claims against me are false and contrived,” Sibiya declared, dismissing allegations that he acted improperly or colluded with dubious figures.
uMkhonto weSizwe Party MP Sibonelo Nomvalo asked pointed questions about Sibiya’s associations, particularly with controversial figures like alleged underworld figure Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala, a tenderpreneur who is facing attempted murder charges, and ANC fixer Brown Mogotsi.
Nomvalo said it was worrying that a senior police officer would continue interacting with individuals of questionable character.
“As a police officer, are you not aware you are easily accessible by people with questionable characters?” Nomvalo asked.
Sibiya replied that it was “unfair” to expect him to investigate every person he met.
Nomvalo pressed further, asking whether Matlala had paid R2 million towards a plot of land for Sibiya in Pretoria.
“That is not true, my plot was bought through the bank,” Sibiya responded.
When asked whether it was appropriate to meet a service provider while he was serving as acting commissioner, Sibiya said it was appropriate to meet everybody as national commissioner.
Nomvalo also accused Sibiya of justifying suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu’s decision to disband the PKTT using reasons that differed from those given by National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola.
Sibiya replied that his motivation “came from him” and that Masemola had been consulted about the disbandment on 27 November 2024.
That claim, however, directly contradicts Masemola’s own testimony to the Madlanga Commission, where he said he was neither consulted nor briefed by Mchunu.
When Nomvalo asked whether disbanding the PKTT without consulting its project manager was appropriate, Sibiya said the instruction came from the national commissioner and included a request for a close-up report.
The exchange grew tense as Nomvalo accused Sibiya of dodging questions.
Democratic Alliance (DA) MP Glynnis Breytenbach took a different tack, questioning whether the police feud was about integrity or internal politics.
“There’s all this fuss about [KZN police commissioner lieutenant general Nhlanhla] Mkhwanazi’s press briefing. Is it a genuine attempt to expose corruption or just a power struggle in the police?” she asked.
Sibiya replied without hesitation: “According to me, it is about the succession battle in the police.”
Sibiya alleged that Mkhwanazi’s public attacks during his 6 July press briefing, which led to the establishment of the ad hoc committee and the Madlanga Commission, were aimed at blocking Sibiya’s potential appointment as Hawks head. He accused Mkhwanazi of “campaigning on TikTok” to build a cult following.
Sibiya also claimed his phone had been compromised.
“Since 2022, I’ve been unable to use my phone because people did a SIM swap. I’m surrounded by Crime Intelligence officers following me and listening to my devices,” he said.
When DA MP Damien Klopper asked if officers could tamper with messages on phones, Sibiya answered bluntly: “That’s doable, even with civilians.”
The Economic Freedom Fighters’ Leigh-Ann Mathys challenged Sibiya on what she called his “pattern of ignorance”, listing things he said he did not know, including the arrest of Crime Intelligence head, Lieutenant-General Dumisani Khumalo, the movement of PKTT dockets and Matlala’s extensive criminal history.
“Do you consider yourself competent in your job?” she asked.
Sibiya maintained that he was competent, blaming “dual reporting lines” in Crime Intelligence that left him partially informed.
Mathys was unconvinced however, asking how South Africans could trust a deputy national commissioner who did not know one of his generals was going to be arrested. (Khumalo was arrested earlier this year with other senior SAPS figures on fraud and corruption charges for appointing an unqualified civilian to a senior post.)
Mathys accused SAPS leadership of blurring accountability lines through ego and factionalism.
“We’re in this mess because of [Mkhwanazi’s July 6 press briefing],” Sibiya responded, adding that everyone was “doing their best under the circumstances”.
Mathys pressed further on the police’s failure to vet compromised individuals, asking whether it was intentional.
Sibiya pushed back, insisting that a drive to capacitate Crime Intelligence was underway.
Inkhatha Freedom Party MP Albert Mncwango focused on the chain of command, questioning whether Mchunu’s decision to dissolve the PKTT was lawful.
“It was lawful, there’s nothing wrong, actually. Ministers are hands-on,” Sibiya replied.
Mncwango disagreed, but Sibiya countered that the public often demanded visible ministerial action.
The committee is set to meet again on Thursday morning, where they will begin with the testimony of Mchunu.
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