MPs Question Sibiya’s Credibility Amid Confusing Testimony Before Parliament

Lieutenant-General Shadrack Sibiya, the suspended deputy police commissioner, came under intense questioning from Members of Parliament after his testimony left several unanswered questions.

The uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP), now serving as the official opposition, expressed concern that Sibiya’s statements were inconsistent and difficult to follow.

Sibiya appeared before Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee on Tuesday to address allegations made by KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi. The session focused on Sibiya’s alleged misconduct and his reported links to tenderpreneur Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala in a supply chain management issue.

MKP MP Thulani Shongwe accused Sibiya of changing his narrative. “He put on record that he believes the (one) letter from Advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane, and then when you question him on the other letter from the advocate, he then changes his stance,” Shongwe said.

Sibiya Defends Himself Against Allegations

During his testimony, Sibiya denied being a rogue police officer and defended his record, stating that both the Public Protector and the State Security Agency (SSA) had cleared him of previous allegations.

These included claims linked to his tenure as head of Group Forensic Investigation Services (GFIS) and the procurement of spy equipment while serving at the City of Johannesburg.

Busisiwe Mkhwebane, a former Public Protector and current MKP Convenor in Mpumalanga, was among those referenced in Sibiya’s statements. However, Shongwe questioned the deputy commissioner’s credibility, suggesting that his evasive responses raised doubts about his integrity.

“I don’t know exactly what to make of him as character,” Shongwe said. “Is he a person who avoids answering, or is he just evasive? So I can’t give one general understanding of who he is or how he is answering.

“It begs a lot of questions, though, in terms of character. The man has a cloud over his head. For one to clear that cloud, he would have been clearly honest, and he is very avoidant.”

ANC Raises Red Flags Over Sibiya’s Associations

African National Congress (ANC) MP Khusela Sangoni-Diko also expressed concern over the inconsistencies in Sibiya’s version of events. She noted that it was the first time the committee had heard such a markedly different account from the deputy commissioner.

“There are obviously a lot of inconsistencies that we need to probe, especially as deputy national commissioner, and what it is he would have done, under what authority, as it relates to the disbandment of the Political Killing Task Team (PKTT),” Sangoni-Diko said.

Sangoni-Diko also pointed to Sibiya’s connections with controversial figures, including Matlala and North West businessman Oupa Brown Mogotsi.

Matlala, who was arrested earlier this year in connection with an attempted murder case involving actress Tebogo Thobejane, has also been linked to alleged fraudulent activities at Tembisa Hospital.

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Mogotsi, meanwhile, has been implicated in alleged unlawful interference within the South African Police Service (SAPS) and was named during the Madlanga Commission hearings for his alleged role in compromising law enforcement integrity.

“There is obviously an issue, as the ANC, and as members, we’re raising about how the General (Sibiya) seems comfortable to consort and engage with people alleged to have been involved in criminal syndicates,” she added.

“We said right from the beginning of the process, is what we want to get to, is at least some most plausible version of the truth, so that is what we are doing.”

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