WATCH | ‘I did not know 'Cat' Matlala was a criminal’ Sibiya tells Madlanga Commission

Suspended SAPS deputy commissioner, Lt-Gen. Shadrack Sibiya says when he first met with the alleged cartel leader, Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala, in office, he was not aware of any corruption allegations against him.

Sibiya claimed he only met Matlala about five times and spoke to him three times on the phone, at most.

“We were not friends… I would say our interaction was very limited,” he said.

Sibiya returned to the stand at the Madlanga Commission on Monday after conceding he took control of crucial political killings case files that then stalled in his office for three months.

The admission allegations that Sibiya interfered in sensitive investigations while senior officers battled corruption and organised crime within the SAPS.

At issue is the controversial disbandment of the KwaZulu-Natal Political Killings Task Team (PKTT), a unit established to investigate politically linked assassinations.

Evidence before the commission suggested that Sibiya centralised the task team’s dockets including matters already on the court roll effectively halting investigation progress.

Sibiya has denied acting for personal gain, insisting his decisions were driven by operational considerations.

But he acknowledged under questioning that the files were left uninvestigated for months.

The commission is also probing claims that Sibiya accepted illicit payments and gifts from alleged underworld figures, including Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala and Katiso “KT” Molefe, who are linked to tender fraud investigations.

Sibiya denies wrongdoing saying he was acting on his senior’s orders. The inquiry continues.

kamogelo.moichela@iol.co.za

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