Tag Archives: Lieutenant General Shadrack Sibiya

Top cop, Lieutenant General Shadrack Sibiya placed on special leave

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Picture: South African Police Service (SAPS) Deputy Commissioner for Crime Detection, Lieutenant General Shadrack Sibiya

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.

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SAUCIC calls for a probe over allegations levelled against Minister of Police, NPA and MPs

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Picture: The Minister of Police, Senzo Mchunu

By REGINALD KANYANE

7 July 2025- The South African Union Council of Independent Churches (SAUCIC) on Monday appealed for calm as it reflected on the damning interference allegations levelled by the Kwazulu Natal Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi against Minister of Police, Senzo Mchunu, the National Deputy Commissioner for Crime Intelligence, Lieutenant General Shadrack Sibiya, the National Prosecution Agency (NPA), Members of Parliament (MPs) and other officials.

SANCIC has expressed confidence that the Republic of South Africa (RSA) president, Cyril Ramaphosa will immediately on his return from the BRICS Summit in Brazil, expedite the establishment of an independent judicial body to speedily investigate the allegations. 

SAUCIC President Cardinal Archbishop Dr Modiri Patrick Shole said, while they respect and appreciate the work that Mkhwanazi has been doing to combat violent crime in KwaZulu-Natal, they are convinced that he should have followed prescribed South African Police Service (SAPS) processes, protocols and procedures laid down in the Criminal Procedure Act, as well adhered to the SAPS Code of Conduct in dealing with the issues at hand. Shole further pointed out that the ‘court of public opinion’ that Mkhwanazi chose, undermined fundamental principles that underpin the rule of law such as the right of accused persons to be assumed innocent until proven guilty in a properly constituted court of law.

“The court of public opinion is like a kangaroo court, which does not afford the accused persons the dignity as well as their right to adequately respond to allegations levelled against them in the spirit of Audi alterum partem.

“Whatever provincial dynamics should not supersede accountability nor compromise law enforcement that must guarantee the safety and protection of citizens. This is not a moment for populism, cheap politicking and grandstanding,” he said.

Shole added that escalating this issue to Parliament will not serve the course of justice, but simply provide political parties with yet another item to jostle for relevance in order to play to the public gallery while matters of national security are at stake. He said whatever preliminary investigation to be instituted should not exceed a month.

“The country cannot afford to be destabilised by those who wish to plunge it into chaos for the benefit of criminal syndicates and political opportunists that are working tirelessly to spark civil unrest for another July insurrection,” Shole underscored. 

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