Suspended Deputy National Police Commissioner Shadrack Sibiya. (x)
Suspended Deputy National Police Commissioner Shadrack Sibiya has rejected allegations of serious misconduct relating to the removal of 121 case dockets from a task team on political killings, arguing that the unit was never intended to exist indefinitely and had worked within an approved restructuring framework.
Testifying at the Madlanga Commission, which is investigating claims of political interference and corruption in the criminal justice system, Sibiya said he had acted within the law and with the full knowledge of his superior, National Police Commissioner Fanny Masemola.
The charges stem from allegations that Sibiya ordered the withdrawal of the docket, including personnel and resources, from the task team after suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu disbanded the unit on December 31, 2024.
Despite instructions to leave the case to Masemola, Sibiya ordered Dockets removed from the trial team. Acting Police Minister Firoz Kaichalia later returned the dockets. Sibiya was suspended for exaggeration and acting without Masemola's approval.
Responding to the allegations, Sibiya said that task forces were generally established for limited, defined purposes and that Masemola was aware of his actions.
“Task forces are usually established for a defined purpose and are intended to operate for a limited lifespan. The PKTT (Political Assassination Task Force) was no different. It was formed to address a specific operational objective and was not intended to exist indefinitely,” he said.
Sibiya said he was aware of a police report which recommended the establishment of a dedicated murder and robbery unit to handle cases handled by the task team.
He rejected Masemola's previous testimony that Mchunu's dissolution letter came as a surprise, saying that the national commissioner was present at the November 2024 executive meeting at which the human resources and organizational structure of the South African Police Service (SAPS) was discussed.
“At this meeting, Minister Mchunu directed the SAPS Executive Committee to specifically reconsider and review certain operational capabilities, including PKTT, on the basis that these task teams were said to duplicate capabilities already in place in SAPS,” he said. Masemola acknowledged that the task force had to evolve into a unit at a later stage.
“He could not have been surprised because he participated in the discussion and there are minutes in that regard… I am not surprised and I do not agree with the national commissioner,” he said.
Sibiya said Macchunu had stressed that the SAPS should avoid creating creative structures that duplicate existing capabilities.
He said, “What is also of concern is that despite several efforts by various national commissioners, little or no effort was made by the provinces to resource and implement the approved recommendations. This has significantly contributed to the poor performance of the spy services.”
Sibiya told the commission that he was being politically targeted, “When I have done nothing wrong, there is so much pressure on me that I am being removed from the post.”
He described the allegations relating to the Johannesburg spyware saga, labor disputes within the Priority Crime Investigation Directorate (Hawks) and the deletion of 121 dockets as fabricated attempts to force him out of the police service.
Sibiya said, “In total, more than 20 criminal cases were opened against me by a task team set up by General (Burning) Ntelameza in the crime intelligence as part of an unprovoked and concentrated campaign to arrest, remove me from office and publicly discredit me.” He said senior SAPS managers and the public were led to believe that he was involved in corruption, organized crime and drug dealing.
He said, “These allegations have caused deep and lasting damage to my reputation, integrity and career, even though they completely lack factual basis. Sadly, as the pattern characterizing those events continues to reveal itself, the same baseless attacks are again being made against me.”
Sibiya denied any involvement in the arrest of crime intelligence chief Dumisani Khumalo and said he was unaware of the allegations at the time.