South African court denies bail to former deputy police commissioner Sibiya — Daily Maverick

The Randburg Magistrate’s Court in South Africa denied bail to Shadrack Sibiya, the former deputy national police commissioner for crime detection. The court concluded that the accused could interfere with evidence and poses a risk to witnesses, Daily Maverick reports.

Magistrate Gleziphi Mkhasibe considered two threats that Sibiya, according to the hearing materials, made against a former associate — the father of the 16-year-old complainant in the case. The court described this as a dangerous pattern of conduct and noted that Sibiya knew the man’s status as a prosecution witness and that his arrest was approaching.

Risk to witnesses

The 16-year-old complainant, who is under witness protection, told the court that she fears Sibiya’s possible release because he was a senior police official and, according to her, threatened her father. Another complainant, aged 18, reported severe emotional consequences from the proceedings and fear of his possible release.

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The court also heard about alleged attempts to influence people connected to the case: a friend of the 18-year-old complainant was allegedly asked to give testimony contradicting her statement, while one witness was offered money in exchange for withdrawing the charges. Mkhasibe did not directly link these incidents to Sibiya, who remains in custody, and ordered that they be investigated.

Court considers prosecution’s case strong

The prosecution claimed that before his arrest, Sibiya wiped data from his phone, destroying potential evidence. During the hearing, Sergeant Nokukhanya Ndlovu read messages between Sibiya and the 16-year-old complainant in which he allegedly asked her to send explicit videos and photographs and later instructed her to delete them.

Sibiya has been in custody since September 20. He faces six charges, including the rape of an 18-year-old, sexual grooming of a 16-year-old, human trafficking and negligent handling of a firearm. He denies guilt, while his defense insists that the sexual relationship with the 18-year-old was consensual. The court noted that it is not determining the defendant’s guilt, as he is presumed innocent until proven guilty. If the decision is not appealed, the trial on the merits is due to begin on November 24, 2026.