Senior Police Official Suspended Over Allegations of Interference in KZN Political Killings Probe
PRETORIA – A high-ranking police official, Lieutenant General Shadrack Sibiya, has been suspended with immediate effect amidst allegations that he undermined investigations into political killings in KwaZulu-Natal. The suspension, which was upgraded from a prior "stay-at-home" order, comes after the Lieutenant General lost a recent court challenge against his boss.
Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola served Sibiya with the letter of suspension on Friday. The suspension notice cites four separate charges of misconduct related to alleged interference with the political killings task team between January and July of this year.
According to the suspension notice, Sibiya is accused of “giving instructions that the case dockets of the political killings task team in KZN be withdrawn from the task team in [the province] to the divisional commissioner: detective and forensic services.” The document further states that these instructions “resulted in the investigation of these case dockets having been hindered and/or delayed” and were allegedly “done without the knowledge and/or authorisation of the national commissioner.”
The document also accuses Sibiya of committing acts of misconduct which “detrimentally affect the image of the SAPS or bring the SAPS into disrepute, and involve an element of dishonesty by acting contrary to the instructions of the national commissioner.” The charges also relate to what the document describes as “acting contrary to the instructions of the national commissioner relating to the winding down of the political killings task team.”
As part of his suspension conditions, Sibiya has been ordered to immediately hand in his appointment certificate, access card, and state equipment, including his firearm, laptop, and cellphone. The notice confirms that, while suspended, "the powers and authority vested in you as an employee shall be held in abeyance," although Sibiya remains subject to police discipline and must be available for disciplinary hearings.
A Legal Battle and Claims of Bias
The suspension follows a public dispute between Sibiya and General Masemola. Sibiya had been on a leave of absence following explosive allegations made by KwaZulu-Natal provincial commissioner, Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi. Sibiya challenged this stay-at-home order in court but lost the case this week. He has since indicated that he would be appealing the ruling to a higher court.
In court papers, Sibiya said that Masemola’s decision to instruct him to stay at home was biased and that he had been treated with inconsistency compared to other officials. "The commissioner has sought to create a false impression that I was treated the same as the other three major generals that I cited as comparators. This suggestion is belied by the plain text of the letters that were sent to the comparators,” he stated. Sibiya told the court that none of the other officials were instructed to stay at home and await a full investigation, a process he was told to follow. "The national commissioner has not explained why he invented a different process for me outside of the discipline regulations, and why he treated me differently from the three comparators I have cited. The decision, therefore, falls to be set aside,” Sibiya said.
The political killings task team was created to investigate the wave of assassinations that have plagued KZN, particularly affecting local government councillors and African National Congress (ANC) members in recent years. Sibiya was allowed to make representations on 25 August before the final decision to suspend him was taken. His suspension represents one of the most significant disciplinary actions taken against a senior South African Police Service (SAPS) official in recent months and highlights the ongoing tension within the police service over the handling of sensitive political investigations.
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