Shadrack Sibiya tells court teenager had a crush on him, says alleged rape victim consented to sex

Shadrack Sibiya, a former Deputy National Police Commissioner, appeared in court on September 29, 2026, seeking bail in a case involving allegations of rape and sexual grooming. The 59-year-old lieutenant-general faces five charges, including three counts of sexual grooming, one count of human trafficking and one count of rape. Sibiya's lawyer, Estelle Killian, argued that the allegations against him are "baseless" and rejected the state's claim that he interfered with witnesses or planned to escape custody.

Sibiya also claimed that his arrest was part of a "diabolical plot" to tarnish his name, and that the charges against him were not part of the Madlanga commission's mandate. The rape allegation stems from an incident in May 2026, where an 18-year-old woman claims that Sibiya took her to a strip club and allegedly raped her after she became intoxicated.

However, Sibiya maintains that the encounter was consensual and that he remained in contact with the woman afterwards. The grooming allegations concern a 16-year-old girl, with whom Sibiya allegedly exchanged explicit messages and shared videos. Sibiya claims that the girl's father provided his contact details to him after becoming upset over a video of his daughter.

Sibiya asked the court to grant him bail of R20,000, with the bail hearing postponed until October 1, 2026.