By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The suspended deputy national police commissioner Shadrack Sibiya has been in the hot seat in Parliament as ad hoc committee continues unpacking accusations of criminal infiltration into law enforcement arena.
Sibiya faced accusations that he played a role in removing dockets from the KwaZulu-Natal Political Killings Task Team (PKTT) as part of an overall plot to allegedly weaken its investigations.
The Committee heard that Sibiya knows ANC information peddler Brown Mogotsi and crime-accused tender tycoon Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala.
Sibiya insisted there was nothing untoward about this.
He faced intense questions about messages between Mogotsi and Matlala, in which he was named and referred to by the two.
The African National Congress (ANC) MP Xola Nqola asked whether Sibiya considered himself a “rogue police officer”.
“I’ve never been a rogue officer in my 37 years in the police. I deny the allegations,” Sibiya replied.
Nqola pressed him on his relationship with Mogotsi, questioning whether it was appropriate for a civilian to provide him with Crime Intelligence information.
“No, it didn’t concern me because when someone comes to you with information that helps your cause, you do give attention to such information.
Currently, Sibiya faces a disciplinary inquiry for defying National Commissioner’s directive to phase out — rather than immediately disband — the PKTT, and for shelving case dockets.
Democratic Alliance (DA) MP Glynnis Breytenbach asked Sibiya whether General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi’s press conference reflected “a genuine desire to expose corruption and criminality within the police, or is this manifestation of a battle for power in the police?”
Personally, quite honestly speaking, this has nothing to do with the 121 dockets and the disbanded political killing task team. According to me, it’s about the succession battle within the police, “Sibiya responded.
“I know that in my case, in my case, this whole thing is meant to block me.”
Sibiya said tensions had surfaced after a radio interview in which he said he would be available to serve as national police commissioner if asked — a comment that, he claimed, was followed by newspaper headlines framing it as “Sibiya vs Mkhwanazi”.
Sibiya said soon afterwards reports emerged that national commissioner Fannie Masemola was facing arrest, which “infuriated” Mkhwanazi. He claimed Mkhwanazi’s press conference was a “pre-emptive strike “to protect both himself and Masemola.
“The people of South Africa are being taken for a ride, that this is about the disbandment [of the task team] and the dockets, “said Sibiya, adding that the dockets were gathering dust after being last opened in 2018.
“For us to be sitting here talking about the dockets, it’s a non-issue. Those dockets were dead a long time ago. And they are still dead now. Even if they can be recalled tomorrow, you will see they are still far.”
Sibiya said the decision to disband the task team stemmed from a December 2024 directive by suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu. He told MPs that the unit was never meant to be permanent, that it operated in secrecy and consumed disproportionate resources — about R500 million a year — that could be better used for other national priorities such as violent crime and detective work.
MK Party MP Sibonelo Nomvalo questioned whether Sibiya agreed with Mkhwanazi’s view that the PKTT was mistakenly targeted because it was thought to be investigating criminal syndicates in Gauteng.
“When [the PKTT dockets] arrived in Gauteng, the people who wanted to influence them realised that these are dockets that are only related to matters of KZN,” Nomvalo said.
Sibiya disagreed, accusing Mkhwanazi of deliberately misleading the public during his media briefing.
“I must add that the people of South Africa must begin to realise that this is someone playing with people’s minds. He’s playing the people of South Africa.”
Sibiya said the PKTT’s mandate had always been KZN-related and that its dockets covered various criminal cases.
“As much as he is trying very hard to bring this political killing task team and throw it into the spanner and saying that it has been disbanded because of this, it is far-fetched.”
While he agreed that political killings were still prevalent in the country, albeit at a lower rate, Sibiya defended the decision to disband the task team, stating that its work had largely achieved its purpose, with stability restored in most districts except eThekwini.
“We can’t keep the PKTT only to attend to one district now,” he argued. “Let us refocus the energy and the resources and the budget to where they are needed.”
He added that the PKTT’s functions were being integrated into the SAPS murder and robbery unit as part of a broader restructuring, which would enable a permanent structure with nationwide reach and capacity to tackle serious violent crimes, including political killings.
The committee adjourned for Thursday, with suspended police minister Senzo Mchunu expected to take the witness stand.
Watch Live in the video below:
Video Courtesy of Parliament.