Suspended Deputy Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Shadrack Sibiya testifies at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry.
Image: Oupa Mokoena / Independent Newspapers
SUSPENDED SAPS Deputy National Commissioner Shadrack Sibiya’s alleged contradictions came back to haunt him during his testimony at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry on Tuesday.
He was grilled about the role played by Sergeant Fannie Nkosi who recently testified that Sibiya asked him to be the "go-between" linking him to alleged crime mastermind Vusimuzi "Cat" Matlala.
Last week, Sibiya dismissed Nkosi's version that he sent him downstairs to fetch Matlala, who came to discuss problems related to his R360 million tender.
He told the commission that he would not send Nkosi to collect a visitor because he has his personal assistant to execute that task.
In one of the WhatsApp messages Sibiya sent to Nkosi, he said: "This guy Imran (Butt) wants to see me. He is downstairs. Can you please go and get him and let Brigadier Ramangwa interview him?" he said.
When asked if this was an example of him asking Nkosi to collect visitors from downstairs, he said: "I don't deny that chair. I don't really mean it never happened before. I didn't really mean it never happened at all."
Commission chairperson and retired Constitutional Court Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga pointed out that his impression from Sibiya's testimony regarding Matlala was that Sibiya "does not send Sergeant Nkosi to fetch people for you because you have your own staff".
"I did not hear you say that but there are exceptions. You just said 'I do not use Sergeant Nkosi to fetch people for me from downstairs to bring them up to my office'. Now suddenly when you are confronted with this, you suddenly ask Sergeant Nkosi to do that for you instructed by someone else... From where I am sitting, you appear to be contradicting yourself," Madlanga said.
It also came to light that Nkosi would act on Sibiya's orders, even running errands and paying for personal services.
The commission also heard that Sibiya shared a confidential police report with Matlala through Nkosi, who is close to Matlala.
The report in question was shared in WhatsApp chats between Sibiya and Nkosi, highlighting potential irregularities in the tender awarded to Matlala and recommending its cancellation.
However, Sibiya denied that he asked Nkosi to facilitate communication between himself and Matlala.
This was, however, contrary to evidence presented at the commission containing WhatsApp chats showing Sibiya's messages to Nkosi were often forwarded to Matlala, and Matlala's messages to Nkosi were similarly relayed to Sibiya.
Sibiya justified sharing the confidential document, saying it was already with a journalist who wanted his comment on Matlala's affidavit claiming Sibiya helped store an X-ray machine at a SAPS college. Sibiya denied any involvement in storing the machine.
According to Sibiya, the confidentiality of the report was broken the moment it was shared with the media.
Justice Madlanga said: "There was a probability that a document would be shared with Mr Matlala. So, you cannot just stop at sharing (a document to) SAPS officer because there is a probability that (he will share it with Matlala)."
Co-commissioner Advocate Sandile Khumalo added: "The other thing about this document is that it concerns Mr Matlala himself. It concerns Mr Matlala’s company. So, it is different from any other document. This one the expectation would be that because it is dealing with Mr Matlala’s company, Nkosi would share it with him. You must have expected that."
Cape Times