Deputy commissioner Lt‑Gen Shadrack Sibiya says the political killings task team was not intended to be a permanent structure and that its closure was consistent with SA Police Service (SAPS) planning.
The disbanding of the team is at the centre of an ad hoc parliamentary team probing allegations of the capture of the country’s criminal justice system.
Senior members of the police, including national commissioner Gen Fannie Masemola and KwaZulu-Natal provincial commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, told the committee of an attempt to muzzle the team after its breakthroughs in fighting organised crime.
Mkhwanazi, Masemola and the head of crime intelligence, Lt-Gen Dumisani Khumalo, have all fingered Sibiya, police minister Senzo Mchunu and others in the attempt to disband the task team.
Appearing before MPs for the second day, Sibiya said the task team had fulfilled its mandate and the SAPS had embarked on a broader restructuring of specialised units.
He said the team’s expertise had to be absorbed into the murder and robbery unit to benefit national investigations.
“This is where they belong,” he said, adding that there were no incidents during the most recent election cycle and that the task team had reported to the portfolio committee on police that it had achieved its purpose.
He said the directive to disband the task team came from the national commissioner’s office and he acted with delegated authority.
A letter drafted by Maj-Gen Leon Rabie on his behalf states that ongoing investigations should not be disrupted and that a comprehensive case handover protocol should be established. Sibiya read the letter into the record to demonstrate that the transition was properly managed.
Asked whether internal and external stakeholders were informed, Sibiya said he had instructed Khumalo, who headed both crime intelligence and the task team, to communicate the decision. He said he was unaware whether this had been done.
Sibiya confirmed that 121 dockets were placed under the murder and robbery unit and said he was responsible for all investigations under crime detection, even if handled by the Hawks or other divisions. He denied that covert operations justified the alleged payment of SAPS members by suspects, calling it “an act of pure criminality”.
MPs questioned Sibiya’s relationship with Brown Mogotsi and Cat Matlala, whose communications were cited in Brig William Kunene’s affidavit.
The deputy commissioner denied attending any meeting arranged by Mogotsi and said the information he received was general and not classified. “I used it to ensure that I survive,” he said. He added that Matlala was a known service provider at the time and that his criminal conduct only became apparent after his arrest.
The committee heard that Sibiya’s presence at the Senzo Meyiwa crime scene was part of a fact-finding exercise and that the scene had already been processed. He denied interfering with the investigation and said he was not involved in its outcome.
He rejected allegations that he procured surveillance equipment while at the City of Johannesburg, stating that the public protector initially cleared him and that the Hawks later confirmed the findings.
ANC MP Khusela Diko raised the question of parliamentary precedent, asking whether a witness could claim prejudice based on being questioned by an MP who had laid criminal charges. The committee has requested legal advice on the matter, but no ruling has been issued.
Sibiya on Monday said he was appearing before the committee “under protest” because of the allegation of conflict of interest.
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