SAPS
Law enforcement has intensified its corruption crackdown, with armed police raiding homes of senior officials tied to the R2 billion Tembisa Hospital scandal. Deputy Commissioner Shadrack Sibiya and suspended Chief of Staff Cedric Nkabinde deny shielding syndicates, claiming the raids are politically motivated.
‘I will not resign, they must fire me,’ says Sibiya after raid at his home
Suspended deputy national police commissioner Lt-Gen Shadrack Sibiya says he will not resign despite a search and seizure operation at his Centurion home on Thursday, describing it as an attempt to intimidate him and derail his preparations for upcoming hearings.
Armed officers, whom he said were from KwaZulu-Natal, confiscated his laptop and several cellphones during the raid, which forms part of investigations into alleged money laundering and corruption.
Sibiya said the officials arrived while he was away, and that the search was carried out in the presence of his sick mother and children who had to be secured in a room.
“ The officials were professional, but it was traumatic for my family. I wish my colleagues could think of my children they have done nothing wrong,” he said.
He accused his colleagues of using the raid to put him under pressure. “This whole exercise is meant to confuse me, to keep me under pressure. I have been served with a notice to appear before a disciplinary hearing, and I am preparing for the Madlanga Commission. I am under siege here,” he said.
Sibiya said he believes the operation is part of efforts to force him out of the police service. “They want to push me out. I will never resign they must fire me,” he said.
He also alleged that he has been under surveillance and that his safety and that of his family are at risk. “There are cars coming up and down with false registration numbers. I am called a criminal in front of all South Africans. But I am waiting to have my day at the Madlanga Commission,” he said.
Sibiya said that he feels betrayed by some of his colleagues, including national commissioner Gen Fannie Masemola. “I feel like Joseph whose brothers threw him in the pit. My colleagues have turned on me, including him,” Sibiya said.
His lawyer, Ian Levitt, said the legality of the search and seizure would be tested in court. “We have been given the warrant, but we have not yet received the affidavit that led to it. When six cars full of armed, masked men arrive at a home with children and elderly people, it raises serious concerns. We will fully investigate what has taken place,” Levitt said.
