Officer tells court teens were allegedly taken to strip club with Sibiya

Suspended deputy national police commissioner Lt-Gen Shadrack Sibiya allegedly told the young women he allegedly took to a Sandton “strip club” venue to say they were celebrating a birthday because they were under the age of 21.

The Randburg magistrate’s court heard from Det Nokukhanya Ndlovu, who is investigating the case, that Sibiya spoke to the manager, who allegedly allowed the women into the venue.

She told the court that she had statements from complainants about what happened at the venue.

However, the defence challenged this version and questioned whether the investigating officer had direct evidence that the women had been taken into the strip-club section.

Ndlovu maintained that she did.

Sibiya faces charges including rape, sexual grooming of a minor, and human trafficking. A firearm-related charge has also been added to the case. He denies the allegations.

The court heard that Sibiya allegedly became involved in plans for a night out involving three young women in May. According to Ndlovu, Sibiya suggested that the women be taken to The Grand in Sandton, a venue he allegedly knew well.

The defence disputed the state’s description of the venue as a strip club.

Sibiya’s lawyer, Estelle Kilian, questioned Ndlovu about the different parts of the premises, pointing out that it also has a restaurant and hotel.

Ndlovu agreed that the venue included those sections but maintained that the women were taken through the strip-club area before being seated in a VIP section.

“The point where I entered is a strip club and the point where I found the applicant is at the strip club,” she told the court. Ndlovu said the women were taken through the strip area to a VIP section where they could eat and drink.

The defence questioned whether Ndlovu had direct evidence that the women had actually been taken into the strip-club section.

“I have direct evidence from the complainants that they were taken to the strip club,” Ndlovu said.

The court previously heard that the women were supplied with alcohol and were allegedly encouraged to take part in a drinking game.

The state alleges that after returning to their hotel, one of the women became unconscious while Sibiya remained in the room with her. Sibiya is accused of raping an 18-year-old woman at a Sandton hotel on May 16.

The state alleges that she had consumed alcohol and later lost consciousness.

Sibiya has admitted having sexual intercourse with the woman but maintains that it was consensual.

The court has also heard allegations involving a 16-year-old girl, who is the daughter of an associate of Sibiya. The state alleges Sibiya communicated with the teenager privately on WhatsApp and engaged her in sexually explicit conversations.

Ndlovu told the court the teenager’s father had worked as Sibiya’s bodyguard and had previously asked him to collect his daughter. The detective said the girl later told her father about her communication with Sibiya.

During Friday’s proceedings, the defence also raised claims about the relationships between some of the young women and people connected to Sibiya.

Sibiya’s lawyer, Amanda Nel, put it to Ndlovu that the father of the 16-year-old was allegedly in a relationship with another teenage girl linked to the case.

Ndlovu said she had no knowledge of such a relationship.

Nel also suggested that one of the girls was the girlfriend of an associate of Sibiya. The investigating officer said she could not reveal the identity of a witness she had interviewed.

The defence has also questioned the state’s presentation of the young women, with Sibiya’s lawyers arguing that the evidence could create an unfair impression about their client.

The state, however, says its evidence is relevant to its opposition to bail and the allegations Sibiya faces.

Ndlovu has told the court that Sibiya’s position within the police could make witnesses vulnerable to intimidation or interference if he is released. The bail proceedings continue.

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