Suspended Deputy National Police Commissioner for crime detection Lt-Gen Shadrack Sibiya has admitted to knowing controversial businessman Brown Mogotsi and murder-accused Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala.
Sibiya said this to the parliamentary ad hoc committee investigating the allegations made by KZN police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.
Relationship formed by Mogotsi tipping off Sibiya
He revealed that he knew both of them through separate calls, one where Mogotsi informed him that crime intelligence was investigating Sibiya.
Due to this information, Sibiya said, he did not delete the number and was curious about the information in Mogotsi’s possession. He told the committee that his line of work would require him to work with any person who has information.
He said after the call, he informed police national commissioner Fannie Masemola that he had received a call from a certain Brown.
“I know Brown Mogotsi, I know him as an activist in North West, but I didn’t know him. I also Googled him, and I saw him at some point. He was commenting and it was an interview relating to former premier… of North West,” said Sibiya.
He said he first met Mogotsi when he was on official duty at the ANC January 8 celebration in Cape Town. This is when he received another call from Mogotsi asking to meet.
Mogotsi forgot to settle breakfast bill
According to Sibiya, he agreed to meet for breakfast, but Mogotsi forgot to pay his bill and called again asking that he settle it but refused, stating that he never knew beforehand that he would have a visitor over for breakfast.
He said Mogotsi never mentioned Matlala, but he also got to know the murder accused through a call he received from the man himself.
“I got to know Mr Matlala when he called wanting to meet, and I said: ‘no, no come to the office,’” said Sibiya.
During this meeting, Matlala complained about a tender he was awarded but was not allowed to use the facility. Matlala was furnished with a letter to the national commissioner and the Department of Public Works confirming the lease agreement.
He engaged with Masemola and was told that they cannot get direction from public works. He then continued seeing Matlala at different events.
“We are not friends, or we were not friends, but at the same time, I was getting to know him. My whole life I have met Matlala five times [or] less; he is not someone that I was really close to. It was just the beginning of knowing each other more, so my interaction with him is very limited,” said Sibiya.
