Shadrack Sibiya Claims 16-Year-Old Had A Crush On Him As He Denies Rape And Grooming Charges

Suspended deputy national police commissioner Lieutenant-General Shadrack Sibiya has denied allegations of rape, human trafficking and sexual grooming, telling the Randburg Magistrate’s Court that the charges against him are “baseless”.

The 59-year-old senior police officer appeared in court on Tuesday, 29 September 2026, as his application for bail continued following his arrest last week. Sibiya has asked the court to release him on bail of R20,000.

Sibiya was arrested on 21 September at an alleged strip club in Sandton by the Madlanga Commission’s Recommendations Task Team (CRTT).

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He faces five charges relating to allegations involving a 16-year-old girl and an 18-year-old woman, including three counts of sexual grooming, one count of human trafficking and one count of rape.

Shadrack Sibiya Bail Hearing: Police General Denies Charges

During the Shadrack Sibiya bail hearing, his lawyer Estelle Killian read his affidavit in which he rejected the allegations and said he intended to plead not guilty.

Sibiya said he was aware that authorities were preparing to arrest him but maintained that he did not try to evade arrest. He instead claimed that he remained available and cooperated with investigators.

Sibiya also placed his personal circumstances before the court as reasons why he should be released pending the case. He said his immediate family relied on him, including his two minor children, his 75-year-old mother and his aunt.

The suspended police official also raised his medical needs as part of his bail application. He told the court that he had been diagnosed with diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol and argued that remaining in custody could affect his access to the medication he requires.

Shadrack Sibiya Raises SAPS Disciplinary Hearing In Bail Bid

The Shadrack Sibiya bail application also focused on an upcoming South African Police Service disciplinary process.

Sibiya said disciplinary hearings had been scheduled for 2 to 6 November and again from 10 to 20 November, arguing that his presence would be required for both preparation and participation.

“My absence, occasioned by the continued incarceration, will deprive me of the right to an audi alteram partem hearing and may result in an unfavourable finding against me,” Sibiya’s affidavit reads.

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Sibiya also rejected the suggestion that he could interfere with witnesses if released on bail. He described his arrest as part of a “diabolical plot” to damage his reputation and denied being part of an alleged “cabal” involved in attempts to influence witnesses.

“It is apparent that the state is attempting to impute third parties’ conduct on me by insinuating that a cabal exists and I form part of [the] same.

“I have never requested nor instructed any person to influence and/or contact any witnesses in this matter.”

He also denied allegations that he intended to flee from custody.

Shadrack Sibiya Denies Rape Allegation In Court

The Shadrack Sibiya rape allegation relates to an incident allegedly involving an 18-year-old woman in May 2026. According to the charge sheet, Sibiya allegedly took the woman and two other people to The Grand Club in Rivonia before later continuing the outing at the Garden Court Hotel.

The state alleges that the woman became intoxicated and lost consciousness before Sibiya allegedly raped her. Sibiya disputes the allegation and told the court that the sexual encounter was consensual. He further claimed that he remained in contact with the woman afterwards and that she indicated that she wanted to see him again.

“However, this did not happen,” the affidavit stated.

Shadrack Sibiya Explains Contact With 16-Year-Old

The Shadrack Sibiya grooming allegations concern WhatsApp interactions involving a 16-year-old girl between July and August 2026. The state alleges that Sibiya possessed and distributed sexually explicit material involving the teenager.

According to the charge sheet, the teenager’s father, who was allegedly an associate of Sibiya, provided her contact details to the senior police official in July for transportation purposes. Sibiya gave the court a different account of how he came into possession of the material.

He claimed the girl’s father had contacted him after receiving a video involving his daughter and was distressed about its contents. Sibiya said the father forwarded the material to him while expressing his disappointment.

“He was disturbed and told me he received a video of his daughter masturbating from an undisclosed source.

“He forwarded this offending video to me while expressing his disappointment.”

Sibiya further claimed that the girl’s father told him that his daughter had a crush on him. According to his affidavit, he later forwarded the material to the teenager after she asked him to do so.

“[The daughter] confirmed that it was indeed her portrayed in the video, but she did not know that the father got hold of the material.

“In the same breath, she volunteered similar videos asking me to investigate.”

Shadrack Sibiya Questions Madlanga Commission Task Team Arrest

Sibiya has also challenged the involvement of the Madlanga Commission Recommendations Task Team in the criminal case against him. He argued that the allegations did not arise from the commission’s mandate and questioned why the task team had become involved in the investigation.

“The obvious but crucial question that needs to be answered by the state is why the CRTT and its members involved themselves in a matter that clearly did not emerge from the commission’s scope or mandate.

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“I furthermore submit that the answer lies within the pertinent fact that all allegations are aimed at removing me from the Saps and due to the fact that no charges emanating from the commission could affect same. The current case was trumped up against me.”

The state is expected to cross-examine a defence witness when the bail proceedings resume. The court postponed the matter until Thursday, 1 October, with Sibiya remaining in custody at Kgosi Mampuru II Correctional Centre in Pretoria in the meantime.

Saps Disciplinary Hearing Set For October

The Saps disciplinary hearing involving Shadrack Sibiya is scheduled to take place on 5 October 2026, national police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe confirmed. Mathe said the disciplinary matter relates to corruption allegations that emerged during the Madlanga Commission.

Sibiya was informed about the disciplinary proceedings while he was in police custody on Tuesday. Mathe said the venue would depend on whether Sibiya remained in custody or was released on bail.

“We will be guided by the court, but for now, if he is still in custody, we will then organise with [the department of] correctional services to allow that particular hearing to sit down in Kgosi Mampuru on the 5th of October.

“If he is out on bail, the venue where this particular hearing will sit will be communicated to him,” Mathe told the media outside court.

The disciplinary proceedings are expected to be chaired by Limpopo Police Commissioner Jan Petrus Scheepers. The hearing is being conducted under Saps Regulation 9, which provides for serious misconduct matters to be dealt with through an “expeditious process”.