Deputy National Commissioner Lt General Shadrack Sibiya told Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee that General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi’s July press conference raised significant controversy.
He said the explosive claims have little to do with the disbandment of the Political Task Team or efforts to expose wrongdoing within the police, and everything to do with internal power struggles and succession.
Responding to questions from Democratic Alliance MP Glynnis Breytenbach, Sibiya said that the public should not be misled into thinking the press conference was driven by a genuine desire to protect South Africans from criminality. Instead, he said, “This, according to me, is about a succession battle within the police.”
Sibiya claimed that following media reports linking him to the race to replace Hawks head General Godfrey Lebeya, he became the target of a smear campaign designed to block his path to leadership.
“I had an interview where I was interviewed by one of the radio stations or TV stations and said, General Sibiya, now that General Lebeya will be going, are you interested, are you available? And I said, well, given that opportunity, I will go,” Sibiya said.
“And as a result of that, you will see newspaper articles that say Sibiya versus Mosiliki versus Mkhwanazi. And then the next thing that happened is that General Khumalo got arrested. That angered General Mkhwanazi.”
He told the committee that General Mkhwanazi was so furious after Lt General Dumisani Khumalo’s arrest that he allegedly sent a message quoting a Tupac song, saying, “I’ll kill them at night when they’re sleeping.”
Sibiya said the tone and timing of Mkhwanazi’s press conference, which followed not long after this sequence of events, indicated that it was a “preemptive strike,” prompted by internal tensions and suspicion over who may have been behind the arrest of senior officers.
Sibiya further said he had been warned by members within the police service that he was also facing imminent arrest.
“You’ll get members who say, don’t go to work on Monday, they say you’re going to be arrested,” he said. When he approached the National Commissioner about the rumours, he was told, “No, no, no, don’t put me in there. I’m not about to be arrested.”
According to Sibiya, Mkhwanazi later contacted him directly to ask if he was planning to visit KwaZulu-Natal. “I said, no, I’ll be coming, General. But the next thing, Sunday, there’s a press conference about me.”
Sibiya described Mkhwanazi’s conduct as dangerous and manipulative, accusing him of playing on the emotions of the public.
“He’s playing a mind game with the country and he’s actually playing those that are prepared to listen to him,” he said.
“Because he knows how to play with words. He will say ‘We are doing this thing for the country and to protect the people of South Africa’. I can defend myself, but the people of South Africa, who’s defending them?”
He denied Mkhwanazi’s claims that sensitive dockets were stored in his office, stating unequivocally: “I don’t have dockets in my office. I don’t have that.”
He described Mkhwanazi’s reference to old dockets as misleading, saying many of them date as far back as 2018, 2019 and even 2020. “Those dockets were dead a long time ago. They are still dead now,” Sibiya said. “Even if they can be called now, tomorrow, you will see that they are still far.”
He also raised serious concerns about what he described as interference by Mkhwanazi in ongoing investigations, specifically referencing an incident where officers conducted a search at Qalakabusha Correctional Services.
According to Sibiya, a call was made to a suspect during the operation, and when the phone was handed to Mkhwanazi, he ordered officers to stop what they were doing.
“That’s interference. That’s defeating. If it was done by someone else, that person would have been suspended,” Sibiya said.
He pointed to other incidents where Mkhwanazi allegedly interfered in investigations, including what he characterised as the unlawful seizure of equipment from a ballistics expert.
“If he sent his team to go and kidnap a ballistics expert, seize the laptop, take the laptop, the files that is obstruction of justice, interference,” Sibiya argued.
Sibiya also touched on a separate incident involving the arrest of Katiso “Kt” Molefe. He claimed that when a team from head office was sent to arrest Molefe, Mkhwanazi again interfered.
“When they went to arrest Katiso Molefe, a team was sent from head office to there. He did the same,” Sibiya said, implying that Mkhwanazi had again obstructed the investigative process by intervening during the arrest.
He questioned why Mkhwanazi’s conduct was tolerated while others would face suspension or dismissal for similar actions.
He said the integrity of investigations was being compromised by such actions and questioned why Mkhwanazi was allowed to behave in ways that would get other officers fired.
“Maybe I should also wear camouflage,” Sibiya said. “I also used, at some point in my life, I also wore camouflage uniform. Maybe I should also wear one, go and make a conference as well and talk things. But I will be fired from the podium same time. That day, on stage, doing that, I’ll be gone.”
“No police official is allowed to do what General Mkhwanazi is doing. No provincial commissioner you will see on TikTok. He’s the only one that canpaign and funded on TikTok,” Sibiya said, accusing Mkhwanazi of weaponising social media to build public support. “You touch Mkhwanazi, you touch us. But he’s a policeman.”
Sibiya also condemned what he viewed as threats directed at Parliament’s own members.
”That is why he’s able to come here in this House and threaten members of this House and say, you don’t touch the members of intelligence because you are forcing them to respond, and once they respond they will talk.” ”We can’t allow such a situation as a country to continue.”
Politics
