Suspended deputy national commissioner Shadrack Sibiya — testifying under protest after a two-hour recusal standoff — told parliament’s ad hoc committee the political killings task team (PKTT) was kept out of his command, its dockets were centralised and operational decisions were made outside formal police channels.
His testimony contradicts assertions made by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi and others, producing two competing narratives that the committee set up to prove allegations of criminal interference in the justice system must reconcile.
It also raises questions about structural irregularities in the SA Police Service (SAPS) command, the exclusion of senior officers from PKTT oversight and the role of suspended police minister Senzo Mchunu in directing operational decisions outside formal channels.
PKTT ‘bypassed standard command chain’
Sibiya framed the PKTT as a unit that reported to Dumisani Khumalo, head of crime intelligence, and Mkhwanazi rather than to the crime detection chain of command under him — a set-up he described as a “very weird arrangement”. He said the team was deployed to unrelated matters and that only a few individuals understood its actual function, despite his top-secret clearance.
Sibiya confirmed that the PKTT was not discussed at the board of commissioner meetings and that he had not been given access to minutes. He said Mkhwanazi never raised the PKTT at board level.
The PKTT was formed in 2018 after President Cyril Ramaphosa’s appointment of an interministerial committee on political killings in KwaZulu-Natal. Mchunu moved to disband it at the end of last year, saying it no longer added value. Mkhwanazi has alleged that the disbandment and Sibiya’s instruction to centralise dockets were part of a criminal capture effort.
Sibiya described his relationship with Mchunu as professional, stating that he did not know the minister before his appointment and that there was an understanding that “you can’t say no” when a minister makes a request.
Closed door
He said he had not been engaged on the PKTT and that the matter was “a door that was closed”, framing the minister’s bid to disband the PKTT as an administrative decision rather than a conspiratorial act.
Sibiya said his relationship with Mkhwanazi deteriorated after the arrest of suspects linked to the murder of a musician, AKA, when Mkhwanazi objected to Sibiya arranging a ministerial briefing via the deputy provincial commissioner. Sibiya said he reminded Mkhwanazi of his seniority, but their working relationship did not recover.
Sibiya also addressed his interactions with Brown Mogotsi and Cat Matlala, both named in Brig William Kunene’s affidavit as part of an alleged conspiracy. He said Mogotsi, whom he did not previously know, contacted him about tender corruption and warned that “intelligence people” were working against him. Sibiya met Mogotsi once in Cape Town during the ANC’s January 2025 gala dinner. He described Mogotsi’s calls as information-laden and said he listened because the information might have been useful.
Matlala denied access to SAPS facility
Regarding Matlala, Sibiya said he was known within the SAPS as a service provider and had run a hospital at the police college. He met Matlala once and described their interactions as “very, very limited”. Matlala visited Sibiya’s office in February 2024 with his attorney to complain about being denied access to a facility for a contracted service. Sibiya relayed the national commissioner’s decision that public works could not dictate SAPS facility use.
Kunene’s affidavit, submitted to the high court, includes WhatsApp messages allegedly sent between Mogotsi and Matlala on January 1 2025. One message reads: “I have arranged a meeting for Sibiya and the minister; they must have a solution.” Another states: “The task team that came to your house and harassed you has been dissolved … they are bringing all dockets to Sibiya.”
Kunene claims these messages predate Sibiya’s instruction to transfer PKTT dockets to Pretoria and alleges that Matlala financially supported Mchunu’s political campaign.
These allegations remain untested and are reported here as part of the committee’s investigatory record. No findings have been made. Sibiya is expected to respond to the affidavit’s claims in the next session. The committee has referred the recusal dispute to the speaker and Parliamentary Services for legal advice.
Chair Soviet Lekganyane said Sibiya could consult lawyers but could not formally be represented in the chamber. Sibiya objected to the presence of MPs who had lodged criminal complaints against him and Mchunu.
Evidence leader advocate Norman Arendse opted not to have Sibiya read his statement, instead putting adverse comments made by national police commissioner Fannie Masemola and Mkhwanazi directly to him.
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