State Challenges Bail: Suspended Police Chief Sibiya Remains in Custody, Hearing to Continue on Friday

Johannesburg – The intrigued onlookers in the Randburg Magistrate’s Court appeared puzzled as to how a high-ranking police officer, just a year away from turning 60, could acknowledge engaging in sexual relations with an 18-year-old woman he barely knew.

In a bid to secure bail, the suspended South African Police Service (SAPS) deputy national commissioner Lieutenant-General Shadrack Sibiya, who has been charged with rape, sat at an angle, his left hand partially obscuring his face.

On Thursday, 1 October 2026, his attorney, Estelle Kilian SC, sought to challenge the state’s assertion that the senior officer exploited the young woman after intoxicating her with alcohol.

Earlier, Detective Sergeant Nokukhanya Ndlovu, who is part of the Commission Recommendations Task Team, outlined how four young women seeking a night of fun ended up in the company of an “overbearing older man”.

According to the testimony, one of the teenagers requested her father to drive the group to a hotel in Sandton, where they checked in.

Interestingly, the father, who cannot be named and was on chauffeur duty, was a subordinate of Lieutenant General Sibiya.

Unbeknownst to the father, his 59-year-old superior had reportedly been grooming the policeman’s 16-year-old daughter.

The expressions in the gallery spoke volumes when Sergeant Ndlovu revealed in court that Sibiya had requested the teenager to send him videos of her engaged in masturbation.

Some men shifted uncomfortably, others bowed their heads in shame, while a few courageous women stared, disbelievingly, at the back of Sibiya’s bald head.

The court was informed that, on the day in question, Sibiya allegedly instructed the young women to “dress classy” before he and the chauffeur took them to a strip club in Sandton, where food and alcohol were provided.

Subsequently, they returned to the hotel in Sandton, where the accused purportedly enticed the young women to partake in a drinking game entailing consuming large amounts of alcohol.

During his previous court appearance, the accused claimed the sexual encounter was consensual; however, today, the detective testified that the young woman had been given so much alcohol that she had fallen asleep.

Ndlovu noted that one of the girls became ill and began to vomit, prompting two of the girls, with the chauffeur’s help, to take her to the reception area for assistance.

While they were outside their hotel room, the alleged “controlling old man” supposedly seized the opportunity to assault the sleeping 18-year-old.

Describing the assault, Ndlovu stated that when the woman awoke the next morning, her panties had been removed, and there were blood stains on her intimate areas.

Ndlovu stated that during her investigation, one witness relayed that when the accused exited the room, he remarked that the 18-year-old “was not a virgin” and that she was “nice”.

Ndlovu recounted how Sibiya’s subordinate and the rape survivor reported the incident to the police.

The gallery reacted with their hands on their heads.

The accused was seen biting his lips and avoiding direct eye contact.

The atmosphere in the courtroom was tense.

There were also audio recordings in which Bishop Maumela accused the police of incorrectly arresting his associate, Sibiya, whom he described as a victim of internal political struggles for the top position.

Ndlovu mentioned that the bishop even attempted to obtain the name of the rape survivor, intending to discuss matters on behalf of Sibiya.

To counter the negative impression created by the bishop, Kilian SC informed the court that he acted independently.

She presented an affidavit from one of Sibiya’s children, stating that her father had not instructed the bishop to act on his behalf.

With the temperature rising, the accused was observed removing his jacket.

As the clock approached three o’clock, the defense was attempting to highlight inconsistencies in Ndlovu’s testimony.

There was only half an hour remaining before the accused would be transported back to Kgosi Mampuru maximum prison in Pretoria.

Kilian SC argued that the accused did not drive the “girls” to the hotel nor pay for their accommodation, which undermined the allegations of trafficking against him.

Then, it was time to end proceedings for the day.

The arrested senior officer appeared resigned to his fate – facing another night behind bars.

The bail hearing resumes tomorrow, Friday, 2 October 2026.