Former Deputy National Commissioner of Police (Crime Detection); resigned from the South African Police Service on 12 October 2026 · Pretoria / Johannesburg
Testified · resigned from the SAPS, recorded as a dishonourable discharge · charged in a separate case · bail refused, in custody to 24 November
South Africa's Deputy National Commissioner of Police for Crime Detection, suspended in July 2025 after KZN commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi alleged he interfered in sensitive investigations. Before the Madlanga Commission he was questioned over the disbandment of the KZN Political Killings Task Team, the removal of 121 dockets, and alleged links to figures connected to the so-called 'Big Five' cartel. He denies any corruption, though he conceded certain procedural deviations; none of the allegations has been tested to a finding. Separately, and not arising from the matters this commission is investigating, he appeared in the Randburg Magistrate's Court on Tuesday 22 September 2026 on five criminal charges. Per The Citizen and the Daily Maverick he was arrested the previous day by the Commission's Recommendations Task Team, the unit set up to act on this commission's recommendations. Per IOL, the Daily Maverick and TimesLIVE the charges are said to arise from alleged incidents between 16 May and 3 August 2026: rape, trafficking in persons, promoting the sexual grooming of a child, and two counts of the sexual grooming of a child. Per The Citizen his formal bail application was set down for 29 September 2026 and he is held at the Kgosi Mampuru II Correctional Centre in Pretoria meanwhile. It was heard that day and did not finish: per SABC News and Sunday World the Randburg Magistrate's Court postponed it to Thursday 1 October 2026 so the state could read documents handed over that morning and prepare to cross-examine the defence's first witness, and he remains in custody. He is asking for bail of R20,000, denies the charges and, per SABC News and the Mail and Guardian, says he will plead not guilty; his attorney Estelle Kilian told the court the case is trumped up and aimed at removing him from the police service. This archive publishes the charges and the court dates and no more: a complainant was a minor, and the particulars are not ours to circulate. Per the National Prosecuting Authority's Kaizer Kganyago he has not pleaded, because 'the matter had not yet reached that stage'. On the same day the police service moved on him internally: per Briefly the SAPS national spokesperson, Brigadier Athlenda Mathe, confirmed that a senior presiding officer served him with notice of a disciplinary hearing in the court holding cells, and that the five day notice period makes 5 October 2026 the earliest the hearing can start, at Kgosi Mampuru II if he is still in custody. Per Sowetan that disciplinary process concerns the allegations made about him at this commission, among them an improper relationship with alleged underworld figures and the gifts of twenty impalas and money attributed to Vusimuzi 'Cat' Matlala; Briefly ties the notice to the criminal charges instead, and this archive records both rather than choosing. On 1 October 2026, as his part-heard bail application resumed in the Randburg Magistrate's Court, the picture widened on both fronts. Per Eyewitness News the State added a further charge, negligent handling of a firearm, with prosecutor Velile Makhasana telling the court that 'a separate case number has been registered in respect of the firearm issue' and that the firearm 'was stored in his vehicle'. Per The Citizen the court heard that he now faces three separate internal disciplinary notices rather than one: a first set down for 2 to 6 and 10 to 20 November 2026, a second running as an expedited process under SAPS Regulation 9 and set down for 5 October 2026, which is the one arising from this commission's findings, and a third served on him on 30 September 2026 while he was in custody. The Regulation 9 hearing did not start on its date. Per Sowetan and IOL it convened on Monday 5 October 2026 and was postponed at his own request to Monday 12 October 2026; the national police spokesperson, Brigadier Athlenda Mathe, said 'the disciplinary hearing was heard today, with the applicant's request for a postponement granted', granted to let him 'consult with his legal representatives in preparation for the hearing'. His urgent Labour Court application was heard the same day and adjourned, per Mathe, 'to allow SAPS to file its opposing papers and allow the applicant to file his replying affidavit before the matter can be heard by the court'; she said the disciplinary and the Labour Court matters 'are separate matters and have been running in parallel' and that the Labour Court matter 'remains sub judice'. Per Eyewitness News the police service confirmed on 6 October that it intends to oppose the Labour Court application, and per the Mail and Guardian the ground advanced for him is that he is not in a position to proceed with the disciplinary while dealing with the criminal case; per the same report the Labour Court matter stands over to Monday 12 October 2026, the date the Regulation 9 hearing itself was moved to. His part-heard bail application resumed in the Randburg Magistrate's Court on Wednesday 7 October 2026 and did not finish. Per SABC News it was postponed to Tuesday 13 October 2026, with the state expected to put up affidavits from the complainant's father, anonymised by every outlet as Mr M, and from the 18-year-old complainant in the second matter. The day went to an affidavit from his wife, Sizakele Dlamini, answering the state's allegation that he tried to intimidate and influence Mr M: per TimesLIVE, IOL and Eyewitness News she says an assistant pastor at the ECG Church, referred to as the apostle, told her on 23 September that Mr M himself wanted to withdraw the case and come to her home, that she feared a setup and refused, that Mr M telephoned her late on 24 September, and that his WhatsApp messages of 2 October read as threatening, after which she blocked his number; per TimesLIVE she concludes that the contact 'is entirely inconsistent with any suggestion that the applicant and his family sought to approach, influence, or exert pressure upon him', and she disputes the state's description of Mr M as her husband's bodyguard. Per the Mail and Guardian the same day the court heard that Mr M has kept almost 300 recordings of Sibiya's meetings along with photographs, vehicle-camera footage and tracking data, preserved on a USB held by someone he trusts, and that he wrote 'I preserved information for my own protection. I'm not saying this to threaten anyone.' Per IOL and TimesLIVE the affidavit also says the apostle reported that Mr M was being pressured by people she identified only as 'Khumalo' and 'Mkhwanazi'; IOL states expressly that it is not clear from the affidavit who she meant, and this archive connects those surnames to nobody, and in particular to no person who shares them on this commission's record. None of that affidavit evidence has been tested. The charge count held back on 5 October has now moved: IOL of 5 October and the Mail and Guardian of 6 October both put the criminal charges at six, the latter breaking them down as rape, three counts relating to sexual grooming, trafficking in persons and a contravention of the Firearms Control Act, so this archive's record is six rather than the five taken from the court on 1 October. The disciplinary notice itself became readable on 8 October 2026. Per the Sunday Times and TimesLIVE, which report that the Sowetan has seen the charge sheet, it runs to seven counts of misconduct arising from this commission's evidence: accepting R500,000 from Vusimuzi 'Cat' Matlala at police head office in Pretoria in January 2024 without the national commissioner's authorisation, 'an act which involves an element of dishonesty'; a further R300,000 at his Pretoria residence in September 2024; 20 impalas in March 2024; persuading Matlala in December 2024 to pursue a case against members of the political killings task team who had raided Matlala's home; instructing in October 2024 that a warrant of arrest carrying the blogger Musa Khawula's personal information be shared; sharing confidential information with suspended Sergeant Fannie Nkosi without authorisation; and promising Nkosi a promotion or a placement in a narcotics project. News24 of 6 October independently puts the money counts together as R800,000 with the 20 impalas and reports three separate disciplinary notices in all. Per the Mail and Guardian the hearing will be presided over by Limpopo provincial commissioner Lieutenant-General Jan Scheepers, whom TimesLIVE names in full as Lieutenant-General Jan Petrus Scheepers, and per the Sunday Times the national police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said Monday's sitting was 'postponed to October 12 to allow him an opportunity to consult with his legal representatives in preparation for the hearing'. His own answer, from his Labour Court affidavit per TimesLIVE, is that custody is the obstacle rather than the merits: 'detention means I cannot arrange my own movements, access my seized devices, assemble records at an office, or consult whenever the demands of the disciplinary case require.' That case is untested, no court has convicted him of anything, a disciplinary notice is an employer's allegation and decides nothing about any criminal charge or anything alleged before this commission, and he is presumed innocent. The Regulation 9 hearing finally sat on Monday 12 October 2026 and did not get past its opening. Per the Mail and Guardian, The Citizen, Eyewitness News, IOL and Sunday World his legal representative tendered his resignation shortly after the hearing started, and the police service terminated his employment with immediate effect the same day. The statement records that 'the disciplinary hearing against Lieutenant General Sibiya sat this morning', that 'the SAPS confirms that Lieutenant-General Sibiya's employment with the Service has been terminated with immediate effect', and that 'as the former senior officer had an ongoing disciplinary case against him at the time of his resignation, his departure from the Service is therefore regarded as a dishonourable discharge'. The Citizen and Sunday World attribute the statement to the national police spokesperson, Brigadier Athlenda Mathe; Eyewitness News attributes it to the acting national commissioner, Lieutenant-General Puleng Dimpane, and this archive records both. Per Eyewitness News the departure 'may not be treated as an ordinary resignation and could result in the loss of certain benefits'. That classification is an employer's description of how a resignation was received while a case was pending; it is not a disciplinary finding, because the seven counts were never heard and nothing was decided on any of them. Whether those counts, the first notice set down for 2 to 6 and 10 to 20 November 2026, the third notice served on 30 September, or his urgent Labour Court application survive the end of his employment is not stated by the police service or by any outlet this archive has read, and this archive does not infer it. It resumed on Tuesday 13 October 2026 and the day belonged to a recording. The state played roughly twenty-five minutes of a call between businessman Serge Cabonge and Mr M, with the investigating officer, Sergeant Nokukhanya Ndlovu, called to identify the speakers; per the Mail and Guardian the state argued the recording goes to character and to the risk of interference with witnesses, while the defence argued it has to be read in context and that 'You can't take out one clip'. Per News24, IOL and the Mail and Guardian the recording carries claims that this archive records as claims and nothing more: that Sibiya received money from Vusimuzi 'Cat' Matlala, and that he and Matlala dealt with each other through suspended Sergeant Fannie Nkosi, News24 quoting Cabonge as saying 'They have been doing things, both of them, via Fannie Nkosi'. Cabonge also denies on the same recording that he himself ever moved money, and alleges that Sibiya threatened him. The commission answered the recording the same day, saying it would obtain Cabonge's statement; it endorsed none of the claims. The bail application then reached its end on Wednesday 14 October 2026. Per Eyewitness News the defence delivered its closing argument, drawing a three-week hearing to a close, and challenged the state's case that he would interfere with witnesses. Per TimesLIVE and Business Day his counsel, Advocate Amanda Nel, offered bail of R20,000, said he had tendered his passport, proposed that he be barred from contacting the complainants, and argued that the state had not shown grounds for his continued detention. Asked whether she was saying all the charges were trumped up, she answered 'Yes, we do say that', and described the matter as 'everything is a trumped-up process with an abuse of power'. She also disputed that the human trafficking count brings the matter under Schedule 6 of the Criminal Procedure Act, which would require him to show exceptional circumstances. Per the Daily Sun his legal team denied that he or his family had tried to intimidate Mr M. The state opposes his release. Judgment was reserved on 15 October 2026 and delivered on Tuesday 20 October, and bail was refused. Per the Daily Maverick, eNCA, The Citizen, IOL and Sunday World, magistrate Hleziphi Mkhasibe held that he had not shown exceptional circumstances justifying release and that 'There is no bail condition that can be imposed to ensure that he complies.' Per the reporting she accepted that he posed a risk to witnesses, in particular the 16-year-old complainant and her father, Mr M, finding that he knew Mr M was a state witness who had laid charges; she relied on the allegations that he wiped his cellphone and asked the complainant to delete their conversations; and she held that she could not impose a condition barring him from using a cellphone, because such a restriction would be difficult if not impossible to monitor. He remains in custody at the Kgosi Mampuru II Correctional Centre and the matter was postponed to 24 November 2026 for further investigation. A refusal of bail decides only that he is held rather than released while the case proceeds. It is not a conviction and decides nothing about guilt, none of the allegations relied on in it has been tested at a trial, he has not pleaded, and he is presumed innocent. He is a different person from Lieutenant-Colonel Kwazikwakhe Sibiya.
Shadrack Sibiyageneral shadrack sibiyaDeputy National CommissionerMadlanga Commission
This profile summarises testimony and evidence given on the public record before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry. It restates allegations as presented at the hearings and is not a finding of guilt, liability, or wrongdoing by any person.
Lieutenant-General Shadrack Sibiya · Testified · resigned from the SAPS, recorded as a dishonourable discharge · charged in a separate case · bail refused, in custody to 24 November
Their role
What the record says
Bail judgment reserved to Tuesday 20 October 2026
Per the Mail and Guardian, SABC News, IOL and Sunday World, magistrate Hleziphi Mkhasibe reserved judgment on his bail application at the Randburg Magistrate's Court on Wednesday 15 October 2026 and set it down for Tuesday 20 October, saying she needed more time to review the documents filed. He remains in custody until then. Prosecutor Velile Makasana opposed bail, arguing the defence had not shown the state's case to be weak or that exceptional circumstances justified release, and that he posed a risk of flight, witness intimidation or interference with evidence; the state also alleges he threatened the father of the 16-year-old he is accused of sexually grooming. Advocate Estelle Killian SC for the defence argued the state's evidence is weak, particularly on the human trafficking count, and the defence has offered R20,000 and tendered his passport. These criminal charges do not arise from the matters this commission is investigating. A bail ruling decides only whether he is held or released while the case proceeds and decides nothing about guilt. He denies the charges, has not pleaded, and is presumed innocent.
20 October 2026: bail REFUSED, 'no bail condition that can be imposed to ensure that he complies'
Per the Daily Maverick, eNCA, The Citizen, IOL and Sunday World, magistrate Hleziphi Mkhasibe refused bail at the Randburg Magistrate's Court on Tuesday 20 October 2026, holding that he had not shown exceptional circumstances justifying release and that 'There is no bail condition that can be imposed to ensure that he complies.' Per the reporting she accepted the state's case that he posed a risk to witnesses, in particular the 16-year-old complainant and her father, Mr M, finding that he knew Mr M was a state witness who had laid charges, and she relied on the allegations that he wiped his cellphone and asked the complainant to delete their conversations. She held she could not bar him from using a cellphone as a bail condition because it would be difficult if not impossible to monitor. He remains in custody at Kgosi Mampuru II and the matter was postponed to 24 November 2026 for further investigation. These charges do not arise from the matters this commission is investigating. A refusal of bail is not a conviction and decides nothing about guilt; nothing relied on in it has been tested at a trial; he has not pleaded and is presumed innocent.
Parliament's parallel committee leaves 'serious unresolved issues' against him but does not find he acted for a cartel
The National Assembly's Ad Hoc Committee to Investigate Allegations made by Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, which was then due to report to the House by 11 September 2026, a deadline since extended to 30 October 2026, has been deliberating a draft report that runs to roughly 800 pages. Its standing draft findings on Sibiya, reported across July and August 2026, are that serious unresolved issues remain over his handling of 121 case dockets and his implementation of the directive dissolving the Political Killings Task Team, but that the evidence does not prove he acted on behalf of businessman Vusimuzi 'Cat' Matlala, Brown Mogotsi or an organised crime network. On 4 September 2026 the committee was still divided on the wider question of criminal infiltration and had not adopted the report. A draft parliamentary report is not an adopted one, and neither is a criminal verdict. Sibiya denies wrongdoing, none of this has been determined against him, and he is presumed innocent.
Matlala says he raised payments to Sibiya with the KZN commissioner (Day 167, 26 August 2026)
Per Business Day, Vusimuzi 'Cat' Matlala testified that at a meeting with KwaZulu-Natal provincial commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi at Umhlanga on 15 April 2025 he told the commissioner about payments made to Sibiya - insisting that the payments were made by other people and not by him. Sibiya faces the wider allegation, running through this commission since Mkhwanazi's July 2025 press conference, that he was bankrolled by Matlala. He denies it. Matlala's account has not been tested, Sibiya has not answered this particular version of it before the commission, and he is presumed innocent.
Public allegation of interference
On 6 July 2025 Mkhwanazi publicly alleged that Sibiya colluded to disband the Political Killings Task Team to shield organised-crime interests. Sibiya strongly disputes the allegations, which remain untested.
Suspension pending the inquiry
Sibiya was placed on special leave / suspended from his post as Deputy National Commissioner for Crime Detection in 2025, pending the outcome of the commission. He continues to deny wrongdoing.
Disbandment of the task team
Sibiya testified that he believed the unit had achieved its purpose, but conceded he used an implementation plan that deviated from the approved strategy and that the team was effectively disbanded without a formal review - framing this as a procedural deviation, not corruption.
Removal of 121 dockets
He denied ordering the dockets brought to Gauteng, but admitted he took control of the dockets - including matters on the court roll - and that they sat in his office for roughly three months before being returned. He maintains the intention was to inspect them.
Alleged ties to 'Cat' Matlala (denied)
It was alleged Sibiya had improper links to alleged cartel figure Vusimuzi 'Cat' Matlala. He categorically denied ever receiving any benefit, calling the suggestion 'false, unfounded and devoid of any factual basis,' while conceding he had met Matlala on several occasions.
