SAPS IN CRISIS: The State versus Shadrack Sibiya — unpacking the explosive rape, grooming, human trafficking charges
A charge sheet sets out the grim case against top cop Shadrack Sibiya, alleging that he plied a group of friends with alcohol at what he called a ‘classy place’ – a strip club – then raped one of them, aged 18, at a hotel. He is also accused of sending explicit messages to a 16-year-old.
South Africa's Deputy National Police Commissioner Shadrack Sibiya is in custody, facing serious allegations of rape, human trafficking, and sexual grooming of a child. The 59-year-old made his first appearance in the Randburg Magistrates' Court on September 21, 2026, following his arrest the day prior. Sibiya is accused of plying a young woman with alcohol at a strip club, then raping her at a hotel.
He is also accused of sending sexually explicit messages to a 16-year-old girl and providing her with nude photographs. Sibiya has a history of controversy, previously heading the Hawks in Gauteng and being suspended and dismissed in another notable policing scandal.
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