Shadrack Sibiya resigns as his disciplinary hearing opens
Shadrack Sibiya, the suspended deputy national police commissioner for crime detection, is no longer a member of the South African Police Service after his lawyer tendered his resignation shortly after his disciplinary hearing began on Monday. SAPS classed his exit as a dishonourable discharge, but the resignation means the internal case against him will not reach a finding.
In a statement confirmed by national spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe, SAPS said that because a disciplinary case was pending, his departure is “regarded as a dishonourable discharge”. His employment ended with immediate effect on 12 October 2026.
Acting National Commissioner Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane told reporters that the hearing would not continue because he is no longer a member of the service, the Sunday Times reported.
The resignation came a day before his bail application resumes in the Randburg Magistrate’s Court. He remains in custody and denies all the charges against him.
What the resignation ends, and what it does not
Leaving the service closes one process and leaves the others running.
| Process | Status after the resignation |
|---|---|
| SAPS disciplinary hearing | Ended without a finding, with the departure classed as a dishonourable discharge |
| Criminal case, Randburg Magistrate’s Court | Continues, with the bail application resuming on 13 October and Sibiya in custody |
| Madlanga commission of inquiry | Allegations aired against him remain before the commission, and he has denied them |
| Commission Recommendations Task Team | The unit that arrested him continues investigating matters arising from the commission |
| Benefits and future employment | SAPS has not said what a dishonourable discharge means for either |
The resignation also followed attempts to stop the hearing. Daily Sun reported that his legal team had approached the Labour Court to halt the internal proceedings, and that the hearing was moved from 5 October to 12 October so he could consult his lawyers.
He had been suspended since September 2025.
The criminal case Shadrack Sibiya still faces
Sibiya was arrested on 21 September by the Commission Recommendations Task Team, which investigates matters arising from the Madlanga commission. He first appeared in the Randburg Magistrate’s Court the next day.
The National Prosecuting Authority has charged him with offences including rape, trafficking in persons and sexual grooming of a child, as well as a firearm-related count. The charges relate to two complainants, one of them a minor, and the law prohibits publishing any information that could identify a complainant under 18.
He has not yet pleaded. NPA spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago has said the state opposes bail, and the state has said the charges fall under Schedule 6, which requires an accused person to show exceptional circumstances before bail can be granted.
Sibiya denies the charges. He has not been convicted of any offence and is presumed innocent.
Two of SAPS’s most senior officers out of command
The resignation leaves the police service with two of its most senior officers out of active command. National Commissioner Fannie Masemola has been suspended since April, after he was charged over a R360 million SAPS tender, and Dimpane is acting in his place.
Sibiya’s suspension followed allegations made in July 2025 by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi about criminal influence in the justice system. Those claims led to the Madlanga commission.
At the commission, Sibiya was accused of receiving cash and gifts from people linked to crime. He denied the allegations in his testimony.
What happens next
His bail application resumes in the Randburg Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, 13 October.
Several points remain unanswered. SAPS has not said what a dishonourable discharge means for his benefits, whether any of the disciplinary allegations will be pursued in another forum, or how the post he held will be filled.
The Madlanga commission’s findings on the allegations against him are still pending. The criminal case will run separately from both the commission and the closed disciplinary process.
HOW WE REPORTED THIS
- The resignation and its classification were taken from the South African Police Service statement of 12 October 2026, published on its official X account and confirmed by its national spokesperson.
- The criminal charges were described only at the level stated in court and by the National Prosecuting Authority, and no detail that could identify any complainant was included, in line with the legal protection for complainants under 18.
- Earlier events were checked against published reports of his first court appearance on 22 September 2026, his bail hearing and the Madlanga commission.
- His denials of the charges and of the commission allegations were included, and every allegation was attributed to the body making it.
- No comment was sought from his legal representatives, the South African Police Service or the National Prosecuting Authority before publication.
- This article was drafted with AI assistance and the facts, figures and quotations were checked against the primary source by the editor before publication.
