Top cop Masemola suspends his deputy, Sibiya, with immediate effect

JOHANNESBURG - Deputy National Police Commissioner for Crime Detection, Shadrack Sibiya, has been suspended with immediate effect.

Sibiya confirmed to Eyewitness News on Sunday morning that he received a suspension letter from the National Police Commissioner, Fannie Masemola, on Friday.

The suspension is believed to be linked to allegations that Sibiya interfered with the work of the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) political killings task team and tried to have the unit disbanded.

KZN Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi first raised these claims during a media briefing two months ago, where he alleged political interference in police investigations.

Sibiya has suffered another setback after his leave of absence was escalated to an immediate suspension.

He had been on leave for the past two months, pending investigations into serious allegations that Mkhwanazi made in July.

Last week, Sibiya lost a court bid to be reinstated, arguing that his enforced leave was unlawful. However, in a 34-page judgment, the Gauteng High Court ruled that the decision was justified given the seriousness of the allegations against him.

It's understood that Sibiya will remain suspended until the commission of inquiry into political interference in the criminal justice system concludes its work.

He has pledged to appear before the commission and present his side of the story.

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