SHADRACK SIBIYA REMAINS IN CUSTODY AFTER BEING NABBED ON SEXUAL OFFENCES!
Suspended Deputy National Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Shadrack Sibiya appeared in the Randburg Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, 22 September 2026, facing five serious charges, including rape, trafficking in persons and the alleged sexual grooming of a minor.
The 59-year-old senior police officer was arrested on Monday by members of the Madlanga Commission’s Recommendations Task Team and appeared in court a day later. The matter was postponed to 29 September 2026, when a formal bail application is expected to be heard. Sibiya will remain in custody at Kgosi Mampuru II Correctional Centre in Pretoria until then.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority, Sibiya faces five charges: rape, trafficking in persons, promoting the sexual grooming of a child and two counts relating to sexual grooming. The allegations concern a 16-year-old girl and an 18-year-old woman.
The State alleges that the teenager was sexually groomed through electronic communication between July and August this year. Sibiya is also accused of raping the 18-year-old woman at a hotel in Sandton in May 2026. The trafficking allegation involves three people, according to prosecutors.
The prosecution has indicated that it will oppose bail. NPA spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago said the State has raised concerns about the possibility of Sibiya escaping from custody and allegations of possible interference with witnesses. These are matters that will be considered during the formal bail proceedings.
The court appearance also attracted significant attention because of Sibiya’s senior position within the South African Police Service. He has been suspended from his position as Deputy National Commissioner for Crime Detection amid separate allegations that have been investigated by the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry.
Those earlier allegations relate to the disbandment of the KwaZulu-Natal Political Killings Task Team and the handling of 121 case dockets. Sibiya has denied wrongdoing in those matters. The Madlanga Commission’s public record stresses that allegations presented before the inquiry have not, by themselves, amounted to findings of guilt.
Sibiya’s latest criminal case is separate from the issues being examined by the commission.
With the bail application now scheduled for 29 September, attention will turn to the evidence the State presents in support of its opposition to bail and the defence’s response.
Sibiya remains an accused person and has not been convicted of any of the charges against him. The allegations will have to be tested through the criminal justice process.