They claimed that he walked confidently into the City of Johannesburg, as if he had already mentally rewritten the job description. By the time he was chosen as the head of the city’s forensic section in 2017, Shadrack Sibiya was no stranger to power structures—or to negotiating their gaps with remarkable ease.
Over the past few months, his name has re-emerged, not in the context of successful investigations or praised law enforcement successes, but rather through testimony marked by uneasiness, contradiction, and considerably damaged institutional confidence.
The current parliamentary inquiry, now running into February 2026, has thrown Sibiya’s decisions and conduct under prolonged examination. A particularly lengthy shadow has been cast by the testimony of whistleblower Mesuli Mlandu. According to his petition, Sibiya was nominated through a procedure so irregular, so fundamentally defective, it almost looked meant to dodge openness completely.
Sibiya failed a crucial competency exam in November 2017, according to Mlandu, with a score too low for even a junior unit role. And then, only weeks later, he was installed into a significantly more senior job. The rapidity of this change was astounding: one day they were interviewed, the next they were appointed, and by January 2017 they were functioning as a department head without official license.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Lieutenant-General Shadrack Sibiya |
| Current Status | Suspended Deputy National Commissioner, SAPS |
| Notable Roles | Former Group Head of Forensic & Investigation Services (City of Joburg) |
| Key Controversy | Accusations of unlawful appointments, corruption, and abuse of office |
| Parliamentary Inquiries | Testified at ad hoc committee hearings, Oct 2025 – Feb 2026 |
| Major Allegations | Fraud, irregular expenditure, abuse of spyware, false job titles |
| Law Enforcement Return | Rejoined SAPS in 2023; promoted before suspension |
| Education | University of South Africa (UNISA) |
| External Reference | Wikipedia – Shadrack Sibiya |
What followed, if the papers and evidence hold true, was a sequence of appointments, approvals, and operations predicated on paper-thin legitimacy. Spyware acquisitions. Titles with no legal validity. authority delegations approved by people who lack the legal authorization to do so.
This wasn’t a one-time blunder—it was, as Mlandu said, “a system built around convenience, not compliance.”
Particularly disturbing was the accusation that intelligence-grade surveillance tools—technology licensed specifically to the State Security Agency—were bought and deployed under Sibiya’s control. These instruments, meant for intercepting communications, were allegedly deployed without oversight or legal authority. For any government office, that would be alarming. For a forensic team overseen by a police official already under ethical scrutiny, it was something else entirely.
What sticks out is how long these worries took to acquire traction. According to Mlandu, questions regarding Sibiya’s conduct began appearing in 2019, but institutional response remained subdued. Reports were stopped from reaching council. There was a delay in external reviews. Even legal conclusions suggesting immediate suspension were sidestepped—buried behind administrative murk.
At one point during the hearing, ANC Chief Whip Mdumiseni Ntuli voiced a concern that has since echoed across commentaries: “If everything we’ve heard proves true, we’re not just looking at a misstep—we’re looking at the possibility of a top-ranking police official functioning as a hub for criminal coordination.”
That remark affected me more profoundly than most. It wasn’t screamed. It wasn’t dramatic. It was the kind of uncomfortable discovery that becomes more weighty the longer it remains unsaid.
Incredibly, despite the accumulating accusations, Sibiya’s public manner remains composed—almost combative. When he spoke to media outside his home in October 2025, he didn’t deny the strain. Instead, he stressed how badly it was affecting his family. “My colleagues have betrayed me,” he continued, stopping. “They haven’t done anything wrong to be traumatized like this.”
He later depicted the inquiry as a planned effort to destabilize him, alleging his life was at stake. And while the public may differ in interpretation, his statements reflected something unmistakably personal—a man cornered by charges, yet nevertheless ready to project strength.
Sibiya’s return to SAPS in 2023, following his departure from the City of Johannesburg, was originally viewed with curiosity. He re-entered the force and, seemingly smoothly, rose to the position of Deputy National Commissioner for Crime Detection. That promotion—now frozen due to suspension—only raised doubts about monitoring and vetting within top ranks.
What’s especially striking is how many organizations appear to have handled the Sibiya case with noticeable caution. The Public Protector, the National Prosecuting Authority, and even the SAPS hierarchy have all come under fire for their inaction when early warning signs were raised. It seems like there were so many levels of accountability that nobody could or would take the initiative.
Through strategic collaborations and internal evaluations, cities often attempt to prevent exactly this kind of institutional drift. And yet, here we are, with months of legislative evidence pointing toward a high-ranking official reportedly working far outside the confines of his role.
The hearings continue. We anticipate more voices. Even if it is moving slowly, the judicial system is working.
But the broader issue is not only about Sibiya—it’s about the culture that allowed him to advance without proper checks. It’s about faith placed in titles, and how readily such titles may be sculpted, borrowed, or wholly invented when ambition outpaces accountability.
In the coming weeks, Parliament must determine whether Sibiya’s suspension becomes permanent—and whether charges should follow. For now, his badge is off, but the shadow it casts still hangs over both the City of Johannesburg and the national police department.
And as the committee produces its final conclusions, one question remains particularly urgent: How many other nominations like his have been hidden in footnotes, waiting to surface when it’s already too late?
