“You can keep complaining about me; I will keep asking you my questions... You don’t have a licence to indulge us as long as you want and answer irrelevant questions.”
These tough and straightforward words summed up the no-nonsense approach that commissioner Adv Sesi Baloyi took as she attempted to get suspended deputy police commissioner Lt-Gen Shadrack Sibiya to answer simple questions related to his alleged links with Vusi “Cat” Matlala.
Since taking the hot seat at the Madlanga commission last week, Sibiya has proven to be frustrating to the commissioners and evidence leaders alike as he would attempt to evade pointed questions, sometimes forcing commissioners to ask a question in multiple ways to get a clear response from him.
However, yesterday Baloyi took a hard stance as she tried to get Sibiya to answer why he passed on a confidential police document to Sgt Fannie Nkosi, who is believed to be his middleman when wanting to contact Matlala.
“Gen, I gave you a chance to answer my question. I asked you the same question twice and thrice. [Instead] you are telling me about how people communicate and distribute things even after I asked you that don’t tell me about how other people communicate,” said the visibly annoyed Baloyi.
She then went on to tell him she would no longer allow him to avoid certain questions.
“Tell me about what we are discussing here. We don’t have the whole day, and I have very limited time to ask you questions. If you don’t want to answer a question and prefer to go the long way, I don’t think you have the licence to be indulged to speak for as long as you want and answer irrelevant things,” she charged further.
Sibiya was being interrogated about circulating a confidential report about Matlala’s R350m SAPS tender, which the document recommended should be terminated due to irregularities.
Sibiya had accessed the report two months before Matlala’s tender was terminated.
Sibiya struggled to explain why he sent the document to Nkosi after initially arguing it was not confidential. But after commissioners told him that it was marked “confidential”, he then changed his story, stating that the document was already in the hands of other officers.
Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga suggested that the reason Sibiya sent the document was that he knew it would reach Matlala.
“You were basically sharing, and I am suggesting this to you: that you were sharing with Sgt Nkosi to alert Mr Matlala as to what was happening and you are upfront alerting Mr Matlala that he be aware this is what is happening,” said Madlanga.
Baloyi agreed with Madlanga, adding that Sibiya was aiding Matlala with information by using Nkosi as a messenger.
Sibiya then told the commission that they are at liberty to draw that speculation. However, they told him that it was not a speculation but a logical conclusion that the commission would arrive at.
Sibiya eventually conceded that by sending the document to Nkosi, it would subsequently reach Matlala.
Matlala’s company, Medicare24 Tshwane District, was awarded a R350m tender by SAPS in June 2024 to conduct health risk assessments for recruits and SAPS employees.
Sibiya is accused of working in cahoots with alleged cartel members, including Matlala. Nkosi, known as “Witness F”, is believed to be the middleman between Sibiya and alleged cartel members.
Earlier in the week, Sibiya admitted to having had private conversations with Matlala as early as January 2024, which is around the same time the tender was advertised.
This led to Matlala allegedly gifting him with about 20 impalas in March 2024. However, Sibiya has denied receiving the animals from Matlala.
Earlier on Tuesday, Sibiya also admitted to having invited Matlala to his son’s engagement party at his house in September 2024. Sibiya said there was nothing untoward about the invite as he was just a police officer and not a supply chain department employee.
Sowetan
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