By OBAKENG MAJE
15 July 2025- The police crisis deepens as South African Police Service (SAPS) Deputy Commissioner for Crime Detection, Lieutenant General Shadrack Sibiya, is placed on leave. News this afternoon has been asked to take a leave of absence raises serious questions about governance and accountability in the South African Police Service (SAPS).
The Democratic Alliance (DA) spokesperson on Police, Ian Cameron, who is also a Member of Parliament (MP) said in policing, placing someone on leave of absence instead of suspending them for a disciplinary transgression is highly irregular and highlights the growing crisis of executive oversight at the top of SAPS. Cameron said this distinction is not a technicality, it is fundamental.
“A leave of absence is typically voluntary and granted for personal reasons, such as medical or family needs. It carries no disciplinary implications and is not defined anywhere in the SAPS Discipline Regulations. A suspension, by contrast, is imposed by the employer, either as a precautionary or disciplinary measure where serious allegations arise.
“The SAPS Discipline Regulations explicitly empower the National Commissioner to suspend a member on full pay, if they are alleged to have committed misconduct and their presence could jeopardise an investigation or endanger safety or state property,” he said.
Cameron further said that standard clearly applies here. He added that Sibiya remains subject to the SAPS Discipline Regulations.
“Only the National Commissioner and the nine Provincial Commissioners are excluded from the disciplinary code. By asking him to take “leave of absence,” SAPS has sidestepped its own disciplinary framework, undermining both the integrity of the investigation and the credibility of the institution.
“The DA will submit urgent Parliamentary questions to establish what exactly the allegations against Sibiya are. Why was the proper suspension or transfer process bypassed? What safeguards exist to ensure a credible, interference-free investigation?
“Under normal circumstances, the Minister of Police would be expected to exercise oversight and provide legal and policy clarity on such a serious step. Yet South Africa has now gone almost 48 hours with no appointed Minister of Police,” said Cameron.
He said this leadership vacuum compounds the crisis and raises further doubts about whether the SAPS leadership is being held to account in line with the law and the public interest. Cameron said accountability, transparency and the rule of law demand immediate action.
The Guardian 