South Africa - Pretoria - 23 Feberuary 2026. The Madlanga Commission of Inquiry witness former Deputy Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Shadrack Sibiya testifies at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry.
Image: Oupa Mokoena / Independent Newspapers
Suspended SAPS deputy commissioner, Lieutenant General Shadrack Sibiya, has flatly denied instructing a senior officer to share a warrant of arrest for blogger Musa Khawula with alleged underworld tycoon, Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala, despite WhatsApp chats laid bare at the Madlanga Commission.
Testifying at the commission on Monday, Sibiya denied passing any information related to arrests to Matlala.
The arrest warrant for Khawula was granted on October 21, 2024. The blogger faced allegations of contravening section 13 of the Cyber Crime Act through so-called malicious communications, as well as crimen injuria.
According to Witness F, he and a colleague were en route to arrest Khawula when Sibiya called.
The instruction, he testified, was clear: forward the warrant to Matlala because his company, Cat VIP Security, could help track down the blogger.
“At that time, Matlala had a security company,” Witness F told the commission.
He said Matlala had indicated that his firm “always had provision where Musa usually goes on weekends” and that it would be appropriate to have a warrant when effecting an arrest.
Witness F complied. He forwarded the warrant.“I did not see any problem with it because usually the SAPS do work with private security,” he said.
Matlala is himself facing attempted murder charges.
His relationship with Sibiya, described during cross-examination as close, has become a focal point of scrutiny at the commission.
Evidence suggested that both Matlala and Khawula frequented the same nightlife venues. Pressed on this, Sibiya referred to them as “after-nine clubs.”
Witness F further testified that Sibiya applied sustained pressure to arrest Khawula. During a weekend bike ride, he received repeated calls.
In one conversation, Sibiya allegedly said the matter was urgent and that he was “getting pressure” from Deputy Police Minister Cassel Mathale because Khawula had insulted ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula and Ze Nxumalo.
Mathale has since denied the allegations.
Sibiya rejected that version outright.He denies ever being under pressure to arrest Khawula. He denied instructing that the warrant be shared.
He denied having any particular interest in Khawula beyond a general interest in suspects being apprehended.
“I don’t believe that you believe that I would do such a thing,” he told the evidence leader adv. Adila Hassim SC, when confronted with the allegation that he ordered the warrant to be forwarded to Matlala.
He insisted that arrest warrants are typically handed to police “tracking teams,” not private security operators.
He also argued that Witness F, five ranks junior, would not have questioned him about alleged pressure. Yet contradictions remain.
Sibiya acknowledged he may have spoken to Witness F’s superior about Khawula’s arrest.
He could not explain why Witness F felt compelled to inform him once Khawula had been apprehended.
“Because he knew we were looking for Musa Khawula,” Sibiya said.
He also struggled to account for why he forwarded messages about Khawula’s arrest to Witness F afterward.
“I don’t want to deny it,” he conceded.
Sibiya is expected to resume his testimony on Tuesday.
kamogelo.moichela@iol.co.za
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