Shadrack Sibiya
Suspended Deputy National Police Commissioner for Crime Detection, Lieutenant-General Shadrack Sibiya, has laid bare his fears for his safety and that of his family.
Speaking defiantly outside his Centurion home after a tense early-morning police raid, Sibiya described feeling like a man under constant watch, with suspicious vehicles bearing fake number plates circling his property day and night. This shocking revelation comes amid escalating probes into deep-seated corruption and political meddling in South Africa’s police force, raising urgent questions about trust in our law enforcement leaders.
Sibiya’s emotional plea highlights a brewing storm within the South African Police Service (SAPS), where allegations of betrayal, syndicate ties, and abuse of power are tearing at the fabric of one of the country’s key institutions. As investigations intensify, the top cop’s claims of being “under siege” have sparked widespread concern over the personal toll on senior officers caught in the crossfire of high-stakes inquiries.
Dawn Raid Shocks Centurion: Armed Officers Swarm Sibiya’s Family Home
The day began like any other in the quiet upscale suburb of Centurion, south of Pretoria, but by 3am, the streets were alive with the roar of police helicopters and the screech of unmarked vehicles. Heavily armed members of the National Intervention Unit (NIU), Special Task Force, and a specialised task team – many hailing from KwaZulu-Natal with K-registration plates – descended on Sibiya’s secure smallholding. What started as whispers of an imminent arrest quickly unfolded into a full-scale search and seizure operation, leaving neighbours peering over high walls in disbelief.
Sibiya, who was not at home during the initial entry, rushed back after a frantic call from his wife. Accompanied by his lawyer, Ian Levitt, he arrived to find his elderly mother, who is battling illness, and his young children huddled in a single room for safety. The officers, some masked and carrying automatic rifles, combed through the property, including personal bedrooms and family belongings, in a move Sibiya called a blatant “show of force”. Despite the fear gripping his household, he praised the team’s professionalism, noting they did not tamper with sensitive documents he has prepared for upcoming hearings.
By midday, the operation wrapped up with the seizure of one laptop and three to four mobile phones – devices Sibiya uses for everyday research, Google searches, and communication. “There’s nothing in the laptop,” he insisted, his voice steady but edged with frustration. The warrant, spanning four to six pages, cited probes into defeating the ends of justice, corruption, money laundering, and media-reported scandals. No arrests were made, but Sibiya’s lawyer confirmed charges of defeating the ends of justice are looming, linked directly to explosive claims aired at recent commissions.
This raid is no isolated incident. Sources close to the matter reveal it stems from a broader Hawks-led investigation into how Sibiya allegedly ordered the transfer of over 120 sensitive dockets from the KwaZulu-Natal Political Killings Task Team (PKTT) to his Pretoria office, where they were supposedly “neutralised” to shield powerful figures. The PKTT, formed to tackle assassinations tied to political turf wars and organised crime in KZN, had reportedly uncovered a sprawling syndicate involving drug cartels, politicians, prosecutors, and even judicial elements in Gauteng.
A Career Under Fire: From Suspension to Siege – Sibiya’s Rocky Path
To understand the raid’s weight, one must rewind to July 2025, when the first cracks appeared in Sibiya’s 37-year policing career. It all ignited during a fiery press briefing by KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, who didn’t hold back. Mkhwanazi accused Sibiya of colluding with then-Police Minister Senzo Mchunu and North West businessman Brown “Oupa” Mogotsi – a controversial figure with alleged ANC ties – to disband the PKTT just as it closed in on high-profile suspects.
Mkhwanazi painted a grim picture: Sibiya, he claimed, had deep links to criminal networks, including drug lord Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala, who snagged a R360 million SAPS tender in 2024 despite facing attempted murder charges. WhatsApp chats allegedly showed Matlala funneling cash to Mogotsi for “protection” and access to classified SAPS files, with Sibiya’s name popping up in discussions to suppress probes. Mkhwanazi even called Sibiya a “criminal” and “stupid”, alleging he stalled assassinations investigations to guard politically connected kingpins.
The fallout was swift. National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola, Sibiya’s longtime colleague, placed him on “special leave” – a polite term for forced absence – pending internal probes. By September, after a failed High Court bid to declare the move unlawful, Sibiya was fully suspended with immediate effect. The Pretoria High Court ruled the action necessary to safeguard investigations, dismissing his arguments that it bypassed due process and tarnished his reputation without proof.
Throughout, Sibiya has hit back hard, labelling Mkhwanazi’s claims “baseless lies” born of grudge – possibly over the 2024 arrest of Crime Intelligence boss Lieutenant-General Dumisani Khumalo, a Mkhwanazi ally nabbed in a R200 million intelligence slush fund scandal. “My job is to investigate criminals,” Sibiya retorted during Thursday’s media scrum. “I’m not a priest dealing with saints or a school principal with good kids. I’ve chased organised crime for nearly four decades – of course I interact with the underworld.”
Yet the pressure mounts. Sibiya faces a disciplinary hearing notice, even as he preps for the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry, where he’ll counter testimony from Mkhwanazi and Masemola himself. The commission, chaired by retired Constitutional Court Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga and launched by President Cyril Ramaphosa in July, is digging into systemic rot: political meddling, criminal infiltration across SAPS, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), judiciary, and correctional services. Hearings kicked off on 17 September with Mkhwanazi’s multi-day evidence dump, followed by Masemola’s nod to “parallel structures” trying to control police ops. Witnesses like NPA’s Elaine Harrison and SAPS legal head Major-General Petronella van Rooyen have warned of “dangerous and unconstitutional” interference, urging reforms to insulate operations from ministerial overreach.
Betrayal from the Top: ‘Like Joseph in the Pit’ – Sibiya’s Cry of Hurt
Standing amid departing police vans on Thursday, Sibiya’s words cut deep. “I feel like Joseph, whose brothers threw him in the pit,” he said, evoking the biblical tale of sibling treachery. He accused his SAPS “brothers” – including Masemola, whom he last saw on friendly terms – of turning on him. “The last time I was with the national commissioner, we were fine. He has visited my home many times. Now, this?”
The hurt runs personal. Sibiya spoke of his sick mother dozing fitfully after the raid’s chaos, his traumatised children shielded from masked gunmen, and a family life upended. He revealed prior warnings from counter-intelligence deeming his life “high risk”, leading to NIU guards at his gate. But he suspects these protectors are spies, feeding intel back to his foes. “They post people who must obey you but report everything. This isn’t protection – it’s surveillance.”
And then, the chilling detail: cars with false registration numbers patrolling his street, black SUVs lurking at intersections, a black bakkie idling suspiciously. “I’ve been under surveillance – helicopters left, right, and centre. This is abuse of power,” he said. Sibiya fears a dawn arrest could turn deadly: “If they come at 3am, someone could shoot me and claim I reached for a gun. Let it be fair – hand me over with my lawyer present.”
His lawyer, Levitt, echoed the alarm, slamming the unserved warrant affidavit and vowing a court challenge. “This isn’t snapshots – it’s a video of unrelenting force,” Levitt said, warning of a slippery slope from targeting one officer to silencing journalists, lawyers, and judges. He noted the raid’s timing – just before Sibiya’s Monday Ad Hoc Committee slot – seemed designed to disrupt.
Eyes on Parliament: Sibiya’s Big Moment Amid National Probes
Come Monday, all eyes will be on Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee, established to probe Mkhwanazi’s claims and threats to national security. Chaired by MP Soviet Lekganyane, the committee has already heard from Mkhwanazi over two days last week, grilling him on the PKTT disbandment and syndicate links. Masemola testified Wednesday, admitting “outside parallel structures” meddle in SAPS affairs but defending the unit’s closure as an executive call.
Sibiya insists he’ll show up, documents in hand, to set the record straight. He won’t sling mud like others, he says, but will affirm his innocence: no illegal disbandments, no underworld pacts, no WhatsApp blocks over AKA murder briefings (a Mkhwanazi claim he flatly denies). “I’ll defend my name without naming names,” he vowed. The committee, with evidence leaders like Advocate Terry Motau, plans to summon President Ramaphosa and a dozen others, including Mchunu (now suspended) and Matlala.
Parallel to this, the Madlanga Commission resumes 13 October after a break, with Brown Mogotsi given just five days to respond to a Rule 3 notice on his alleged role in SAPS interference. Experts like DA MP Lisa Schickerling stress the need for whistleblower protection and swift prosecutions to reclaim public trust.
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