Suspended deputy National Police Commissioner Lt-Gen Shadrack Sibiya has acknowledged a close personal relationship with a key witness at the Madlanga commission of inquiry.
However, he rejected allegations of corruption and improper conduct.
Continuing his testimony on Thursday, Sibiya conceded that he shares a personal bond with the individual referred to as Witness F, whose WhatsApp communications have formed part of the evidence before the commission.
Relationship had no corrupt dealings
“I don’t distance myself from being close to him. It is correct that Witness F and I have a close personal relationship,” Sibiya told the inquiry.
However, he dismissed claims that the relationship facilitated corrupt dealings.
“The relationship does not translate into any corrupt or improper conduct. It does not mean that Witness F acted as an intermediary through whom I received any illicit funds,” he said.
Evidence before the commission includes WhatsApp messages allegedly showing Witness F acting as a middleman between Sibiya and controversial businessman Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala.
Sibiya maintained that while he was close to Witness F, he was being unfairly singled out.
“Despite this, I am the only individual singled out in an apparent attempt to advance a narrative of impropriety,” he said.
Other cops cordially linked to Witness F
Sibiya further testified that Witness F also had associations with other senior police officials, including Lt-Generals Khosi Senthumule and Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.
“To my knowledge, Witness F and General Senthumule are known to socialise and engage in recreational activities together, including biking over weekends. I do have video material that shows how close they are,” he said.
Addressing issues related to the Police Killings Task Team (PKTT) dockets, Sibiya insisted his conduct was proper. He criticised national police commissioner Fannie Masemola for lodging what he described as a flawed complaint.
“Masemola’s complaint against me is not a bona fide complaint. It is contrived, selective in its focus and premised on an incomplete account,” Sibiya testified.
He further reiterated his testimony in the Ad Hoc Committee that he gave in October 2025. He had said that he met controversial political activist and businessman Brown Mogotsi in Cape Town. The encounter was during the African National Congress’s January 8 birthday celebrations last year.
However, he insisted their interaction was unrelated to police work.
Mogotsi links unrelated to police work
“I met Brown Mogotsi for the first time in January 2025 in Cape Town. I was there for work to manage a big event like the ANC January 8th birthday celebration,” he said.
Sibiya told the commission he was deployed in Cape Town from January 5 to 12, as part of police operations. He denied attending the ANC gala dinner, attributing earlier claims to a clerical error.
“I did not attend the ANC gala dinner. I was there for work. It was a typo that I was at the gala dinner,” he said.
According to Sibiya, Mogotsi began contacting him in December 2024. He warned him of alleged efforts to remove him from the South African Police Service (SAPS).
“He further informed me that false information was being circulated about me,” Sibiya testified.
Sibiya said he later met Mogotsi in Johannesburg, and their discussions never involved official police matters.
“On the occasions where I met Mogotsi, we did not discuss any official policing business. Nor did we discuss any operational, investigative, or intelligence-related matters pertaining to the SAPS,” he said.
Sibiya also denied arranging any meeting between Mogotsi and Matlala.
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