Police deputy national commissioner Lt-Gen Shadrack Sibiya has alleged the MK Party had a hand in the build-up of the corruption allegations levelled against him by KwaZulu-Natal provincial commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.
Sibiya made the claim during his testimony before the Madlanga commission of inquiry, investigating allegations of criminal infiltration in the justice cluster, on Wednesday.
Sibiya, second in charge of the country’s police service, faces allegations of being linked to criminal syndicates and receiving money from Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala.
Matlala’s Medicare24 had a R360m tender with the South African Police Service (SAPS).
Sibiya told the commission there was political influence in the allegations levelled against him from the country’s biggest opposition party, MK Party, led by former president Jacob Zuma.
He pins the assertion on the testimony of former executive director in the city manager’s office, Mesuli Mlandu, before parliament in which he admitted to knowing MK Party MP Colleen Makhubele.
In 2022 Mlandu wrote a letter to minister Bheki Cele that alleged Sibiya was facing allegations he had received R3.5m in unlawful gratification.
The R3.5m was linked to Sibiya’s tenure as head of the City of Johannesburg’s forensic and investigations services from 2016 to 2022.
“Concealment of evidence of corruption and fraud from the Hawks, which involves the employment of Sibiya, the head of department, forensic services, in receiving R3.5m of unlawful gratification and causing suffering of R580m of irregular expenditure,” said the letter.
Mlandu’s letter was part of the corruption allegations levelled against Sibiya by Mkhwanazi.
It is Sibiya’s case that Mlandu, through links to Makhubele, a former city of Joburg speaker, was able to meet Mkhwanazi and brief him on the claims.
“I was expected to answer questions in parliament from the MK Party, which opened a case against me,” he said.
He said the party asked him “humiliating” questions in parliament that negatively affected his reputation.
In 2022 Sibiya won a case against former mayor Thapelo Amad to stop making statements implying Sibiya’s department improperly procured sophisticated surveillance technology for the purposes of spying on councillors.
“It was not spying equipment,” Sibiya said, adding these devices were meant to tackle corruption within the metro.
He also drew links to his 2016 labour case during his tenure when he was Hawks head and the current allegations against him.
“I was labelled a member of the gang [in the 2016 case] and in these allegations I am said to be a member of the Big 5. I want to remind the commissioners that I went through this,” he said.
He won the case and returned to the police service in July 2023.
He continues with his testimony.
Business Day
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