Sibiya spends another weekend in custody as wife and cousin testify in bail bid

Suspended deputy national police commissioner Shadrack Sibiya will spend another weekend in custody after his bail application was postponed to Tuesday at the Randburg Magistrate’s Court, where his wife and cousin testified on affidavit for the first time.

The court heard from Sibiya’s wife, who described a sequence of contacts over recent days. She told the court she was approached early in the case, after his arrest, by an apostle who said he had been in touch with a man identified in proceedings as Mr M, the father of the 16-year-old who has accused Sibiya. She said Mr M later contacted her by phone and by text message after proceedings at the magistrate’s court were already under way. According to her affidavit, Mr M said he was unhappy with the way Sibiya has been portraying him in court and that what Sibiya has been saying is not true.

Sibiya’s cousin also filed an affidavit, presented as supplementary to the bail bid. He told the court the family had not interfered with any witnesses, and that he was with Sibiya’s wife on the occasion when Mr M is said to have made contact. His account is that Mr M was trying to establish what was happening, said he did not want to become involved, and claimed to hold information about Sibiya that he had noted down in the past. The cousin said Mr M told him he would give that information if called to testify at the Randburg court. He also said Mr M had contacted him directly, and that when Mr M realised one particular call was being recorded, he ended it abruptly.

Towards the end of the day’s proceedings the defence indicated it wants to place a further affidavit before the court to support its argument that Sibiya should be granted bail. That affidavit had been expected on the day, but the state told the court it needs time to work through the documents properly before they can be entered into evidence.

The matter had been expected to resume on Wednesday, but the presiding magistrate said she is occupied on both Wednesday and Friday. Monday was also unavailable, this time for the state, and the case was set down for Tuesday. That leaves Sibiya in custody over the weekend and returns the parties to the Randburg Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, when the supplementary affidavit is expected to be read into the record.

Sibiya, who is suspended from his post as deputy national police commissioner, faces an accusation that he groomed a girl of 16, along with a separate allegation that he raped a woman of 18. He maintains that he is innocent.

Source: SABC News, Suspended Deputy Police Commissioner Shadrack Sibiya’s case postponed to Tuesday