National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola has come out swinging against allegations levelled by his deputy, Lieutenant General Shadrack Sibiya.
The courtroom drama, unfolding in the Gauteng High Court, is not just a battle of egos but a fight for the soul of the South African Police Service (SAPS).
Masemola, a man known for his measured demeanour, has shed his usual restraint to deliver a blistering defence against Sibiya’s claims that he abused his power and acted unconstitutionally.
Not holding back
In his affidavit, Masemola paints a picture of a deputy who defied direct orders, undermined his authority, and jeopardised critical investigations. The stakes are high, and Masemola is not holding back.
At the heart of the dispute is the disbandment of the Political Killings Task Team. A specialised unit established to combat politically motivated murders in KwaZulu-Natal.
The task team, which had been credited with stabilising political violence in the province, was abruptly ordered to shut down by Police Minister Senzo Mchunu in December 2024. Masemola, who was on leave at the time, returned to find the directive already in motion.
But instead of implementing the ministerial directive responsibly, Sibiya allegedly went rogue.
Reckless, damaging move
Masemola accuses Sibiya of ignoring his explicit instructions to wind down the task team’s operations gradually. This is order to avoid disrupting ongoing investigations. Instead, Sibiya allegedly issued directives for the immediate handover of case dockets to police headquarters. A move Masemola describes as reckless and damaging.
“The applicant proceeded to give directives and instructions to the task team to immediately hand over the dockets to the head office and the redeployment of the task team members,” Masemola stated in his affidavit.
The fallout from Sibiya’s actions was severe. According to Masemola, the case dockets were removed from investigators and left dormant at police headquarters. With no plan for their future investigations.
“The effect of the handover of the dockets to the head office was that these dockets were removed from investigators. They remained dormant at the head office, not assigned to any investigators. And without any plan for their future investigations,” he said.
Deliberately undermining authority
Masemola’s frustration with Sibiya’s defiance is palpable. In one of the most scathing parts of his affidavit, Masemola accuses Sibiya of deliberately undermining his authority and acting against the interests of the SAPS.
“The applicant might have deliberately ignored my instructions and acted contrary to his obligations. This in terms of his appointment, which necessitated an investigation as to his intentions and motives,” Masemola stated.
But Masemola doesn’t stop there. He takes aim at Sibiya’s attempts to portray himself as a victim. A victim of an unconstitutional “stay-at-home” order, which Masemola issued to side-line him while a preliminary investigation into his conduct was conducted.
Masemola defends the order as necessary to ensure a fair and transparent investigation.
“It would not have been possible to do such a preliminary investigation whilst the applicant was in office. Many of the witnesses reported directly to him and would be intimidated by his mere presence,” he said.
Masemola also hits back at Sibiya’s claims that the disciplinary process against him is unlawful and politically motivated. He argues that the investigation into Sibiya’s conduct is entirely justified and rooted in his constitutional duty to manage the police service.
“I have a duty to manage the police service in accordance with my constitutional duties. And should I fail to deliver on this mandate, I will be flouting my constitutional obligations,” Masemola stated.
Attempting to evade accountability
In a particularly pointed section of his affidavit, Masemola accuses Sibiya of attempting to evade accountability. He said he does this by conflating the disciplinary process with the broader allegations of criminal syndicate infiltration into the SAPS.
“The applicant is deliberately attempting to cloud the issues with reference to the allegations stemming purely from the media briefing by Lt Gen [Nhlanhla] Mkhwanazi,” Masemola said, referring to a separate set of allegations made by the KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner.
Masemola’s defence is not just about clearing his name. It’s about asserting his authority and protecting the integrity of the SAPS. He makes it clear that he will not allow political interference or internal sabotage to derail his efforts to lead the police service effectively.
“I would rather choose to manage the police service with full transparency and accountability. Something which I expect from all my officers,” he stated.
