Madlanga Commission | Masemola accuses deputy Sibiya of power grab to protect criminals

National Police Commissioner, Gen. Fannie Masemola, told the Madlanga Commission how his deputy, Shadrack Sibiya, tried to take control of the cold case unit abruptly, and replaced Lt-Gen. Dumisani Khumalo from the Political Task Team with another general - a move he believed was to protect criminals.

Masemola outlined three alarming power moves made by Sibiya shortly after his appointment as as the deputy — each aimed at weakening oversight and centralising control under his command.

The first and most aggressive move was Sibiya’s attempt to take over the Cold Case Unit. This is the elite investigative team currently handling, among others, the high-profile Senzo Meyiwa murder case.

Masemola described the request as highly irregular and dangerous, stating that the Cold Case Unit was structurally designed to operate independently of general detectives, who already report to Sibiya.

“This unit only takes on cases that general detectives could not resolve. Now he wants the same unit to report to him? That’s a clear conflict,” Masemola said.

He said he advised Sibiya to focus on the massive portfolio he had just inherited instead of “chasing after a unit that operates as a last line of investigation.”

Masemola further testified that Sibiya objected to Lt-Gen Dumisani Khumalo, the head of Crime Intelligence, obtaining or carrying investigation dockets — particularly those related to counterintelligence operations.

“He wanted to restrict Khumalo’s ability to conduct counterintelligence work, even though it’s standard practice for investigators to carry sensitive dockets,” Masemola explained.

He defended Khumalo’s role, noting that counterintelligence work was highly sensitive and often cannot be logged openly in police systems due to national security concerns.

The third point of contention was Sibiya’s desire to have Khumalo removed from overseeing the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT) — despite no performance concerns or capacity issues being raised by Khumalo himself.

Masemola told the commission that Khumalo had confirmed the team was “a well-oiled machine” that required only occasional oversight, and therefore did not interfere with his duties in Crime Intelligence.

“There was no operational justification for that request. It was simply about shifting power,” Masemola said.

Masemola told the commission that, taken together, these moves appeared to be less about restructuring and more about removing obstacles to protect criminal networks.

“This wasn’t about efficiency. It was about control. And in my view, it was about shielding certain criminals he was working with,” he testified.

Meanwhile, Sibiya is accused of working hand-in-hand with the controversial businessman, Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala.

Masemola has since suspended Sibiya from his duties to allow investigations into the alleged corruption.

kamogelo.moichela@iol.co.za

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