Saps Deputy Commissioner Denies Links to Criminals During Testimony Before Ad Hoc Committee

The Ad Hoc Committee to Investigate Allegations Made by the South African Police Service's KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi yesterday heard that deputy national police commissioner Lt Gen Shadrack Sibiya was in contact with both controversial businessman Mr Brown Mogotsi and murder accused Mr Vusimuzi "Cat" Matlala.

Testifying before the committee, Lt Gen Sibiya denied any friendship with Mr Mogotsi but admitted knowing murder accused Mr Matlala, who won the controversial Medicare24 police healthcare tender. Lt Gen Sibiya was responding to questions before Parliament's ad hoc committee investigating police corruption and interference. He told the committee that he knew Mr Mogotsi as an activist from the North-West.

He told the committee that Mr Mogotsi had been feeding him information about individuals conspiring against him. Mr Mogotsi phoned him several times with this information and at no stage did he feel the need to block his number. He met up with Mr Mogotsi for breakfast in January this year in Cape Town.

Mr Mogotsi is accused of trying to influence the disbanding of the political killings task team (PKTT) and has links to Minister Senzo Mchunu. Evidence leader Adv Norman Arendse referred to several WhatsApp messages in which Mr Mogotsi and Mr Matlala confirm the disbandment of the PKTT.

Lt Gen Sibiya also elaborated on his deteriorating relationship with Lt Gen Mkhwanazi. He said that he and Lt Gen Mkhwanazi had a "good" working relationship for years, until tensions surfaced following arrests made in connection with the 2023 murder of rapper Kiernan "AKA" Forbes. Lt Gen Sibiya said then-police minister Mr Bheki Cele approached him to confirm that authorities had arrested the right suspects and requested a briefing on the matter in order to familiarise himself with the details.

He conceded that he contacted the KwaZulu-Natal deputy police commissioner instead of Lt Gen Mkhwanazi to facilitate the process. He went on to say that this angered Lt Gen Mkhwanazi, who later lambasted him for summoning KwaZulu-Natal officials without his knowledge.

Late last night, at the close of the proceedings, Lt Gen Sibiya said he was never involved in any crime. He added that he did not have the time to meet with drug lords and crime kingpins with his heavy workload and travelling.

He went on to say that he was taken aback when National Police Commissioner Gen Fannie Masemola said that he believed the allegations. "I'm all over the country and I don't have time to go to meet some drug lords somewhere and start engaging with their operations such as those. So, I'm just saying that I don't commit crime. I'm not involved in crime."

Rajaa Azzakani

14 October 2025