Sibiya accuses SAPS of targeting him following home raid
Suspended Deputy National Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Shadrack Sibiya has expressed feelings of betrayal and persecution following a police raid on his home on Thursday.
Despite hours spent by police officers inside his residence, no arrests were made.
Sibiya described the operation as an unjustified siege and accused the SAPS of betraying him.
“At least my police colleagues must think of my kids,” Sibiya said, emphasising the personal toll of the ongoing investigation.
Several laptops were seized during the raid, but Sibiya insisted nothing incriminating was on the devices.
“They took three or four laptops, including a laptop, and there’s nothing there. Every day we are under siege and helicopters fly around,” he said.
Sibiya acknowledged the strained relations within the police hierarchy.
“I can see the anger in even Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, even when he speaks, you can tell the anger. But it is okay, let the process unfold, and we will meet on the other side,” he remarked.
He also called for transparency and fairness should an arrest be forthcoming.
“If the police want to arrest me, it must be done fairly. Let them do it properly and not come to me at 3 am. My life is in danger, and I was provided with security, but this is not done in good faith. They put people there to pass on information to others,” he stated.
Sibiya also revealed the personal hardships he is enduring alongside the professional challenges.
“My mother is sick, she is here, and I feel my career has already evolved. I feel that we should not be going through this.”
When asked whether he intended to challenge the allegations against him legally, Sibiya remained reserved, saying he would allow the process to unfold first and that he planned to testify.
“In time, I will explain why I feel I am being targeted,” he added.
National police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said this was part of ongoing investigations as publicised and mentioned at the ad hoc committee and the Madlanga Commission.
Sibiya’s legal team, led by attorney Ian Levitt, expressed concern over the public allegations against their client, particularly those by Mkhwanazi.
Levitt indicated they are closely monitoring the situation due to the impact on Sibiya’s life and career.
The allegations stem from recent allegations at the Madlanga Commission and the parliamentary inquiry, where Mkhwanazi accused Sibiya of being involved in a syndicate allegedly obstructing police operations.
During his testimony on Wednesday in Parliament, Mkhwanazi further claimed that Sibiya might be the actual author of a directive issued by Police Minister Senzo Mchunu last December to disband the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT), a controversial move that has drawn widespread criticism.
thabo.makwakwa@inl.co.za
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