Suspended Police General Sibiya Demands Right to Cross-Examine Superiors, Accuses Top Brass of Misleading Commission with False Testimony
High-Stakes Confrontation Looms as Suspended Deputy Commissioner Fights Back Against Allegations
In a dramatic escalation of South Africa’s ongoing police corruption inquiry, suspended deputy national police commissioner Shadrack Sibiya has launched a counteroffensive against his superiors, demanding the right to personally cross-examine national commissioner General Fannie Masemola and KwaZulu-Natal police head Major General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi. The move comes amid explosive allegations that have rocked the South African Police Service (SAPS) to its core.
Sibiya, who finds himself at the center of a growing storm of corruption allegations, has formally written to the Madlanga Commission alleging that both Masemola and Mkhwanazi provided “false information” and “materially misleading” testimony that threatens to permanently damage his professional reputation. The suspended commissioner’s bold legal maneuver represents a high-stakes gamble to clear his name and turn the tables on his accusers.
The Allegations: Cash Payments, Wedding Contributions, and Land Deals
The commission hearings this week have heard testimony that would read like a crime thriller if the implications weren’t so serious for South Africa’s law enforcement integrity. A witness identified only as Witness C—a member of the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT) testifying under anonymity—claimed that alleged cartel kingpin Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala confessed to making repeated cash payments of approximately R500,000 to Sibiya.
But the financial relationship allegedly didn’t stop there. According to testimony, Matlala also contributed R300,000 toward Sibiya’s son’s wedding—a substantial sum by any measure—and allegedly handed over a staggering R2 million directly to Sibiya for the purchase of land intended for development into a bed and breakfast establishment. These allegations, if proven true, would represent a serious breach of police ethics and potentially criminal conduct.
Witness C’s testimony painted a picture of systematic corruption, claiming that Matlala confided about providing Sibiya with various gifts, including 20 impalas—a detail that adds almost Shakespearean symbolism to the allegations. The witness further alleged that Matlala paid R500,000 to fund Police Minister Senzo Mchunu’s bid for the ANC presidency, though the connection to Sibiya in this particular allegation remains unclear.
Sibiya’s Counterattack: Denials and Demands
In an affidavit submitted to the commission on October 10 and obtained by investigative journalists, Sibiya doesn’t merely deny the allegations—he goes on the offensive. He describes Masemola’s testimony as “false,” “implausible,” and creating “a misleading impression of events” that he feels compelled to correct “in the interests of fairness and the integrity of the commission’s work.”
“I vehemently deny that I am, or have ever been, a close friend of Matlala,” Sibiya states unequivocally in his affidavit. “No credible evidence has been produced to establish that I am friends with Matlala.”
Sibiya insists his only encounter with Matlala occurred in January 2024, when he was serving as acting national commissioner. According to Sibiya’s account, Matlala visited his office with his attorney to complain about not being allowed to use a building for a tender he had been awarded—a routine administrative matter, in Sibiya’s telling. Sibiya claims he simply relayed Matlala’s concerns to Masemola, who allegedly responded dismissively: “Public works is not going to tell SAPS how to utilise the building.”
The WhatsApp Evidence Question
One of the most intriguing aspects of Sibiya’s response concerns WhatsApp messages between Matlala and controversial businessman Brown Mogotsi, which General Mkhwanazi cited as evidence confirming a relationship between Sibiya and Matlala. Sibiya wants to question Mkhwanazi directly about these messages, casting doubt on their authenticity and context.
“I am unable to confirm the authenticity, accuracy or context of these purported WhatsApp communications and cannot speak to their legitimacy, completeness or reliability,” Sibiya states, adding that “any attempt to rely on these alleged messages as evidence against me is therefore misleading and unfair, as it attributes to me statements and discussions in which I played no part whatsoever.”
This challenge to digital evidence highlights the complexities of modern corruption investigations, where messaging platforms have become both tools for illicit communication and potential sources of evidence—with authenticity often hotly contested.
The Political Killings Task Team Disbandment Controversy
Beyond the personal allegations, Sibiya’s affidavit delves into operational matters that strike at the heart of police accountability, particularly concerning the controversial disbandment of the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT) and the transfer of 121 dockets from the team.
Sibiya describes Masemola’s claim that he was “surprised” by the transfer of these dockets as a “self-serving attempt to distance himself from decisions he previously endorsed.” According to Sibiya, Masemola was not only present at meetings where the disbandment implementation plan for the PKTT was discussed but actually instructed Sibiya to sign the plan himself, deeming it “operational in nature.”
“It is untrue that, at any material time, Gen Masemola requested me to defer to him or to leave the matter of the disbandment implementation plan for his attention,” Sibiya states, providing a detailed account of their interactions. “On the day I presented the disbandment implementation plan to him—which I prepared, with the assistance of Maj Gen (Leon) Rabie—in January 2025, he informed me that he did not deem it necessary to sign [it] as he regarded it as operational in nature, and he instructed me to sign it instead.”
Contradictions in Testimony and Meeting Conduct
Sibiya’s affidavit highlights what he characterizes as striking inconsistencies in Masemola’s testimony, particularly regarding Police Minister Senzo Mchunu’s conduct during meetings about the PKTT disbandment. While Masemola now describes Mchunu’s conduct as “very concerning,” Sibiya—who attended the same meetings—claims that “at no stage… did Masemola raise or express any concern” during the actual meetings.
“I attended the meetings that Gen Masemola attended and observed him lend his support to the actions taken regarding the disbandment of the PKTT,” Sibiya states. “At no stage… did he raise or express any concern to the minister. His present suggestion that he was troubled by the minister’s conduct is a clear afterthought and appears to be a self-serving attempt to distance himself from decisions he previously endorsed.”
This portrayal of Masemola’s testimony as a “convenient reconstruction after the fact” forms the core of Sibiya’s defense strategy—painting his superior as attempting to rewrite history to avoid accountability for controversial decisions.
The Docket Transfer Mystery
Sibiya’s affidavit also tackles the mysterious transfer of 121 dockets from the PKTT, expressing skepticism about claims by both Masemola and Mkhwanazi that they were unaware of the transfer. Given their positions and working relationships with crime intelligence head General Dumisani Khumalo, Sibiya suggests their “professed ignorance reads less as a genuine oversight and more as a convenient reconstruction after the fact.”
“It… defies belief that both Gen Masemola and Gen Mkhwanazi, who worked so closely with Gen Khumalo, could have been wholly unaware of the transfer of the dockets to head office,” Sibiya argues, adding that Masemola’s “purported disapproval of the request for funding to investigate the case dockets [is] nothing more than a self-serving afterthought.”
Broader Implications for South African Law Enforcement
This high-profile confrontation comes at a critical juncture for South Africa’s criminal justice system. With public trust in law enforcement already fragile, the spectacle of top police officials publicly accusing each other of deception and misconduct threatens to further undermine confidence in the institutions meant to uphold the rule of law.
The commission has acknowledged receipt of Sibiya’s application but has yet to rule on whether he will be granted the extraordinary opportunity to cross-examine his superiors. Legal experts note that such direct confrontations between high-ranking officials are rare in commission proceedings, making the potential showdown particularly significant.
What remains unclear is whether Sibiya’s aggressive defense strategy will succeed in shifting the narrative or simply deepen the crisis within SAPS leadership. The allegations of cash payments, wedding contributions, and land deals—coupled with the operational controversies surrounding the PKTT disbandment—paint a complex picture of potential corruption and institutional dysfunction.
The Human Element: Reputation and Legacy
Beyond the legal and institutional implications, Sibiya’s affidavit reveals the personal stakes involved. “I respectfully submit that I will suffer serious and irreparable prejudice if I am denied the opportunity to cross-examine Gen Masemola,” he states. “My professional and public reputation will be unjustly damaged.”
This plea highlights the human dimension of corruption inquiries—the careers, reputations, and lives hanging in the balance. For Sibiya, this isn’t merely a legal battle but a fight for his professional legacy and personal integrity.
As the Madlanga Commission deliberates on Sibiya’s request, South Africans watch with keen interest. The outcome could determine not only the future of individual police leaders but also the direction of anti-corruption efforts within the country’s law enforcement apparatus. With so much at stake, the commission’s decision on whether to allow this unprecedented cross-examination may prove as significant as the testimony itself.
The coming days will reveal whether Sibiya gets his day in court—or more accurately, his day confronting his accusers in the commission—and whether his counterattack can successfully challenge the narrative that has placed him at the center of one of South Africa’s most significant police corruption investigations in recent years.