By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Lieutenant-General Shadrack Sibiya, the deputy national commissioner for crime detection, has been requested to take a leave of absence, amid ongoing internal investigations.
President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday suspended the police minister Senzo Mchunu and announced an investigation into allegations he has been colluding with criminal syndicates.
Ramaphosa’s actions follow allegations made by a top police official in the KwaZulu-Natal province, Gen. Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, that Mchunu and deputy police commissioner Shadrack Sibiya had interfered with sensitive investigations.
Ramaphosa said announced the judicial commision of inquiry to probe the alleagations and it will be headed by a acting chief justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga.
Ramaphosa also announced Firoz Cachalia as the acting minister of police.
“The commission will investigate the role of current or former senior officials in certain institutions who may have aided or abetted the alleged criminal activity, failed to act on credible intelligence or internal warnings, or benefited financially or politically from a syndicate’s operations,” Ramaphosa said during a televised address Sunday.
National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola has confirmed that Sibiya has been placed on leave.
“He has been sent documents to take leave while the processes are underway. We don’t normally like to discuss details of our departmental processes, but yes, he has been served today to stay home while other processes are unfolding.
“It is a leave of absence while we are doing the internal process,” Masemola said.
Sibiya confirmed his leave of absence and said he would comply with the process.
Meanwhile trust in SAPS is at an all-time low, with just over a fifth of citizens having faith in the police since 2022, according to a survey.
The study by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) was released on Monday.
According to the HSRC survey, trust levels in the police have remained relatively low over the 1998 to 2024-25 period, during which a majority of the adult public never expressed any faith in the service.
From 1998 to 2010, the average level of trust ranged between 39% and 42%, but dropped sharply in the 2011-13 period following the Marikana massacre, when police opened fire and killed 34 miners during a strike at a Lonmin mine.
In 2021, trust in the police fell to 27%, apparently as a result of the July 2021 social unrest in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, when the SAPS was criticised for its handling of the violence.
“The findings of this study underscore the urgent need for SAPS to prioritise building public trust and confidence,” the HSRC’s Benjamin Roberts, the principal investigator of the study, commented.
“By adopting a more community-focused and accountable approach to policing, we can work towards creating safer and more secure communities for all South Africans.”
The Eastern Cape and Northern Cape consistently recorded the highest levels of trust, averaging 43% and 42% respectively, while Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal had the lowest average trust levels at 29% and 34% respectively, slumping to just 18% in 2024-25.