Madlanga Commission: Sibiya to defend his reputation under cloud of darkness

As suspended Deputy National Police Commissioner Shadrack Sibiya prepares to appear before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry on Wednesday morning, questions linger over whether his fight to defend his reputation is a battle already lost.

Sibiya has been at the centre of allegations around the criminal justice system in the province being captured by businessmen and drug cartels.

The allegations were made public by KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi in July.

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In his explosive briefing, Mkhwanazi referred to Sibiya as a criminal - but he isn’t the only one to have labelled Sibiya as a crooked cop.

During the testimony of witness C - a member of the Gauteng counterintelligence operations unit - it emerged that police recorded a conversation with Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala upon his arrest in 2025.

In the six-hour recording, excerpts of which were played before the commission, Matlala confessed to allegedly paying Sibiya up to R 1 million a month in cash.

Sibiya was allegedly paid by Matlala for assisting him in ensuring he won a multi-million-rand police tender.

In the distorted clip, Matlala refers to Sibiya as a criminal.

“He’s a criminal himself, Sibiya.”

Matlala made the confession to witness C and other investigators upon his arrest in May.

In the recording Matlala confessed to having close links to other senior cops, such as Gauteng head of organised crime, Richard Shibiri, and the national counterintelligence head, Feroz Khan.