SAPS sets 5 October hearing for suspended deputy commissioner Sibiya
The disciplinary hearing will proceed whether Shadrack Sibiya is in custody or on bail, with the venue to be confirmed if the Randburg court grants bail.
The South African Police Service has served suspended Deputy National Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Shadrack Sibiya with notice of a disciplinary hearing set for 5 October, the service said on Tuesday.
National police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said the hearing will go ahead whether Sibiya is in custody or on bail. If he remains at Kgosi Mampuru II Correctional Centre, where he is being held while his bail application continues, arrangements will be made with Correctional Services for the hearing to sit there. If he is released on bail before then, the venue will be communicated to him.
As The South African reported on 29 September, the hearing follows allegations linked to the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry. Mathe said the 5 October hearing flows from a separate departmental investigation into allegations raised before the commission, and that the investigation has been completed.
SAPS said the hearing will be expedited under Regulation 9 because the allegations include corruption. Mathe described the allegations as serious.
The Madlanga Commission has heard allegations linking Sibiya to businessman Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala and claims involving payments and criminal networks. Those claims remain allegations and have not been proven in court.
Sibiya has previously faced five misconduct charges linked to his handling of the KwaZulu-Natal Political Killings Task Team and its dockets. He disclosed those charges before the Madlanga Commission in February. Mathe’s latest comments indicate that the 5 October hearing relates to a separate departmental investigation.
SAPS regulations require five days’ notice before a disciplinary hearing starts. Mathe said a senior presiding officer formally served Sibiya with the notice on Tuesday.
The announcement came hours after Sibiya raised separate disciplinary proceedings during his bail application in the Randburg Magistrate’s Court. In his affidavit, Sibiya argued that remaining in custody could prejudice his ability to prepare for and participate in those proceedings.
Sibiya’s bail proceedings resume on 1 October. His criminal case and the SAPS disciplinary process remain separate.
Source: The South African, SAPS sets 5 October disciplinary hearing for Shadrack Sibiya
