Shadrack Sibiya Denies Role in Link Between Mchunu & Mogotsi

( The Post News)– Deputy National Commissioner for Crime Detection, Shadrack Sibiya, has firmly rejected any suggestion or rumour that he has alleged involvement with businessman Brown Mogotsi on behalf of suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu.

Appearing before Parliament’s ad hoc committee investigating police corruption on Monday, Sibiya confirmed he had encountered Mogotsi on two occasions but denied participating in any meetings arranged by him or receiving instructions involving Mchunu or his Chief of Staff, Cedrick Nkabinde.

“I’ve never been part of a meeting arranged by Mogotsi. He never contacted me about any gathering with the minister or his staff,” Sibiya testified.

Mogotsi is accused of acting as an intermediary between Mchunu and murder suspect Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala, allegedly facilitating the exchange of sensitive police information for money, which was then used to fund ANC internal campaigns.

Mkhwanazi Linked Sibiya to Task Team Shutdown

Earlier this year, KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi claimed that Sibiya had enforced Mchunu’s decision to dismantle a task team probing political assassinations and transferred 121 case files to national police headquarters.

All allegations first emerged in July 2025, prompting South African President Cyril Ramaphosa to establish an inquiry headed by retired Judge Mbuyiseli Madlanga. Mogotsi has also been instructed to give evidence regarding his role in police operations irrespective of him being a civilian.

Parliament has since launched its probe into the matter. Testifying before this committee, Mkhwanazi stated his working relationship with Sibiya deteriorated due to disagreements over how the task team was managed.

On Monday, evidence leader Norman Arendse questioned Sibiya about WhatsApp messages submitted by Crime Intelligence head Dumisani Khumalo to the Madlanga inquiry. The texts allegedly show Mogotsi assuring Matlala that Sibiya was directly involved in the disbanding of the unit.

“These messages are between two people. I am not part of that conversation, even if my name is mentioned,” Sibiya said.

He denied ever working with Matlala and cast doubt on the authenticity of the messages, noting that during Matlala’s bail hearing, his legal team made allegations that phones used as a form of evidence had been tampered with by a private company.

When Arendse asked if he rejected the messages, Sibiya said, “I don’t reject them outright, but I question their credibility,” and suggested that the person who extracted the messages be summoned to court to testify.

Sibiya said he was aware of Mogotsi’s activism and had met him twice. During one meeting, Mogotsi warned him about a supposed threat from members of the intelligence community. This, Sibiya reassured, was not new information.

He recalled meeting Mogotsi once in Cape Town during the ANC’s 8 January celebrations, where he was on official police duty. Mogotsi later called to say he had forgotten to pay a restaurant bill. Sibiya said he didn’t settle it, as he barely knew him.

Regarding Matlala, Sibiya explained that he knew him in his capacity as a service provider to the police and had only spoken briefly with him by phone when Matlala requested a meeting. Sibiya said he eventually met him and his attorney about a lease dispute, promising to look solely into the complaint.

Sibiya, appointed deputy commissioner in 2023 under the former Minister of Police Bheki Cele, stated his role gave him ammunition to act on behalf of National Commissioner Fannie Masemola, including issuing the directive to move the 121 case files—a decision Masemola did not personally sign for or to.

Sibiya Slams Political Killings Task Team Structure

He criticized the political killings task team’s unusual reporting structure, saying it had been wrongfully placed under Mkhwanazi and Khumalo rather than within his own detective division. He argued that the team should have been under proper oversight.

“There are many task teams across the country, poorly monitored and controlling large budgets,” Sibiya said, adding that the political killings unit had a R500 million budget while crime-ridden communities like Westbury and Eldorado Park lacked support.

He urged the committee to conduct an audit of the task team’s overtime claims since 2018, arguing that such resources would be better used in frontline units like the murder and robbery squads. He further criticized the task team’s secrecy, saying senior police leaders were kept in the dark. His only engagement with the team, he said, came through Khumalo when additional staff was requested.

Sibiya insisted his interactions with Mchunu were purely professional and said he had not met him before Mchunu’s appointment as minister. He acknowledged, however, that ministerial instructions are typically difficult to refuse.

Though he once had a good-standing professional relationship with Mkhwanazi, Sibiya stated that things took a drastic and negative turn during the investigation into South African rapper AKA’s murder due to disagreements about the case’s management. He further stated that Mchunu gave assistance in mediating the conflict and that he and Mkhwanazi reconciled thereafter and shook hands.

However, Arendse noted Mkhwanazi had claimed otherwise, allegedly saying he would not “shake hands with criminals.” Sibiya refuted this, insisting the handshake took place and that he had even invited Mkhwanazi to an awards ceremony, which the commissioner declined to attend.