The police commissioner claimed that he took the father as his 'little brother'.
Deputy National Police Commissioner Shadrack Sibiya appears at the Randburg Magistrate’s Court on 1 October 2026. Picture: Nigel Sibanda / The Citizen
Suspended Deputy National Police Commissioner Shadrack Sibiya allegedly threatened the father of the 16-year-old girl at the centre of his sexual grooming case, the Randburg Magistrate’s Court heard on Friday, 2 October.
An audio recording capturing the confrontation was played during Sibiya’s ongoing bail proceedings on Friday, revealing the lieutenant-general’s anger towards the father.
Sibiya is facing charges of sexual grooming, human trafficking and rape following his arrest at a strip club in Sandton on 21 September 2026.
He is accused of sexually grooming the daughter of his former bodyguard and driver, with the state alleging that he exchanged explicit material involving the minor.
The senior police official was placed on special leave in July 2025 before being suspended in September of the same year over allegations that emerged from the Madlanga commission before his arrest.
Shadrack Sibiya seeks bail in rape and sexual grooming case
The case against Sibiya stems from communications allegedly exchanged between him and the 16-year-old girl on WhatsApp between 20 July and 3 August 2026.
The teenager’s father reportedly approached the police after discovering the communications.
He initially shared his daughter’s contact details with Sibiya because he believed the senior police official would help arrange transport for her.
However, Sibiya allegedly began communicating privately with the teenager without her father’s knowledge.
The lieutenant-general has challenged the state’s version of events, offering a different explanation for how the explicit video came into his possession.
He claimed that the father had invited him to a braai in Kempton Park and asked him to collect his daughter from Centurion, where Sibiya lives.
According to Sibiya, the father returned to his home approximately a week later and told him that he had received a video of his daughter engaging in self-pleasure activities from an unidentified source.
Sibiya alleged that the father subsequently forwarded the video to him while expressing his disappointment.
He further claimed that the father told him his daughter had a crush on him.
Audio recording played
The court heard that Sibiya sent his former bodyguard a voice note after the father had reported the matter to the police.
In the recording, the suspended police commissioner appears to take issue with the father’s decision to open a criminal case against him, reminding him of the financial assistance and support he had allegedly provided to the alleged former bodyguard.
“You know I supported you. Many times, I gave you money – R10 000, R4 000, Uber money, tickets and my card so you can go buy groceries,” the senior police officer told the father.
Sibiya also accused the father of doing “wrong things” and speaking negatively about him, while suggesting that he had remained patient despite their deteriorating relationship.
“I took you as my younger brother. I took you as my little brother, but you, in turn, went and said bad things about me. On top of that, telling them to arrest me.”
The lieutenant-general had previously made allegations about the father’s presence during a separate incident in which he is accused of raping an 18-year-old girl.
Allegations against father
The alleged rape of the 18-year-old reportedly occurred on 16 May 2026.
The state alleges that Sibiya took the complainant and two other women to The Grand Club before purchasing food and alcohol for the group.
They reportedly later moved to the Garden Court Hotel, where they continued drinking.
According to the prosecution, the complainant became intoxicated, and Sibiya allegedly raped her while she was unconscious.
The lieutenant-general has denied the accusation, insisting that the sexual encounter was consensual.
Meanwhile, the father’s conduct was also questioned through an affidavit submitted by a police officer.
The officer claimed that the former bodyguard frequently pursued women and had previously recorded himself engaging in sexual activity with a woman before showing and sharing the footage with others.
He further supported Sibiya’s version that the father had shown him a video involving his own daughter.
More alleged intimidation comes to light
The earlier recording played in court also captured Sibiya, who was accused of planning to escape from custody, making further remarks directed at the father.
“The easiest person to deal with is you. I can deal with you very quick and easy, but I never did that. I hung around with you knowing the things you say about me,” he said.
Prosecutor Velile Makasana told the court that the state had received another audio recording on Thursday, allegedly capturing a bribe to the father in exchange for withdrawing the criminal case.
“We then received the recording of the same witness, [the father], being approached by somebody trying to offer him money to drop the case,” Makasana revealed.
The court earlier had heard that an unidentified individual, allegedly posing as the investigating officer, contacted the father on 19 September, asking whether he was responsible for opening the case against Sibiya.
This incident is separate from the call Sibiya’s “long-time friend”, Bishop Lazarus Azwihangwi Maumela, allegedly made to the father following the lieutenant-general’s arrest.
The conversation was recorded and subsequently became part of the proceedings.
During the exchange, Maumela told the father that the purpose of the call was that “we can sit down” and “talk” with the alleged rape victim.
Makasana argued that the various incidents raised concerns about efforts to influence people involved in the case.
“There are many attempts either to interfere or intimidate witnesses,” the prosecutor said.
The case has been postponed to 7 October, with Sibiya set to remain in custody.
