In a dramatic turn within South Africa’s law enforcement ranks, Lieutenant-General Shadrack Sibiya, the Deputy National Commissioner for Crime Detection, has been ordered to take a leave of absence with immediate effect.
The move comes in the wake of serious allegations made by KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, who accused Sibiya — along with Police Minister Senzo Mchunu — of interfering in critical investigations and dismantling an elite task team probing political killings and organised crime in the province.
The allegations have sent shockwaves through the South African Police Service (SAPS), with fears growing that powerful networks may be undermining justice from within. Sibiya, a key figure in national crime intelligence, now finds himself at the centre of a deepening scandal that threatens to expose institutional rot at the highest levels of policing.
A judicial inquiry, set to be led by Acting Deputy Chief Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga, is being prepared to probe the claims and determine whether there was political interference in ongoing investigations. Minister Mchunu has not yet publicly responded.
As pressure builds, the public is calling for swift and transparent action to protect the integrity of police work — especially as political violence continues to claim lives and destabilise provinces like KwaZulu-Natal.
