Sibiya denies personal ties to Mogotsi and Matlala | SAPS Inquiry
Deputy National Commissioner Sibiya testifies before Parliament on his interactions with Brown Mogotsi and Vusimuzi Matlala, explaining the nature of their communications and professional engagements within SAPS structures.
Image: Amanda Hough/ Independent Newspapers
Deputy National Commissioner Lt General Shadrack Sibiya says he has no personal relationship with controversial businessman and activist Brown Mogotsi but regularly received information from him.
He only became familiar with service provider Vusimuzi ‘Cat’ Matlala after Matlala approached SAPS with contract-related concerns.
Sibiya appeard before Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee on Monday, which is investigating allegations made by KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lt General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi. During the session, Sibiya was questioned about his interactions with Mogotsi and Matlala.
Sibiya told the committee he did not know Mgotsi personally before the activist first contacted him. Mogotsi, who is known as an activist in the Northwest, had reached out to Sibiya with information relating to gender-based corruption and political concerns in the region.
“He called me and informed me that the intelligence people were listening to me and investigating me,” Sibiya said, adding that this was the first time they had any contact. He confirmed phone records would verify the calls.
Sibiya explained that, at his senior level in the police, it is common to receive calls from various citizens and officials, often passed on through third parties.
He said he never deliberately blocked Mgotsi’s calls because the information he shared was often relevant and consistent with what Sibiya already knew about ongoing issues.
The deputy commissioner said he met Mogotsi in person only twice. The first meeting was during official police operations in the Northwest, and the second was a brief encounter in Cape Town ahead of the ANC’s January 8 celebrations, where Mogotsi came to greet him.
Sibiya dismissed suggestions that Mgotsi used influence or dropped names to gain access, saying the activist simply shared warnings and information without seeking favours.
“The information that he gave me, you find that is the information that I know and that I see is happening around me,” he said.
On Vusimuzi ‘Cat’ Matlala, Sibiya said he became aware of him only after joining the police. Matlala is a known service provider to SAPS, running a hospital at a police college and holding a health care contract.
Sibiya recounted that Matlala had requested a meeting with him around February 2024 to raise concerns about being awarded a tender but not being allowed to access the facility to deliver on it.
Matlala presented a letter of demand addressed to the National Commissioner General Fannie Masemola, which Sibiya tabled during the hearing.
Sibiya said he consulted with the National Commissioner, who responded that Public Works would not dictate how SAPS utilised its buildings. As a result, the tender process continued despite Matlala’s complaints.
He told the committee there were no further legal demands or disputes. Matlala, he added, remained a visible figure at police college events where Medicare 24, his company, provided health screenings alongside other suppliers.
“He is a person who was just known by a lot of generals and other colleagues,” Sibiya said.
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