Matisonn: General Sibiya and the moral fog at police HQ

Key topics:General Shadrack Sibiya’s ethics and credibility collapseMadlanga Commission exposes conflicts of interestPolice factionalism and urgent reform calls.Sign up for your early morning brew of the BizNews Insider to keep you up to speed with the content that matters. The newsletter will land in your inbox every morning on weekdays. Register here.Support South Africa's bastion of independent journalism, offering balanced insights on investments, business, and the political economy, by joining BizNews Premium. Register here.If you prefer WhatsApp for updates, sign up to the BizNews channel here..By John Matisonn.For some observers who keep an eye on the national police generals, the fall of General Shadrack Sibiya, South Africa’s second most senior police general, has been the saddest tale of the saga of a compromised police force.Before the explosive July 6 media conference that started this round of investigations there were many police-watchers who thought General Sibiya was one of the good guys in an ocean of malfeasance. Even after Matlala had been in the news in connection with the Tembisa Hospital tender scandal and the Ekurhuleni blue lights saga, Sibiya said he had been unaware of Matlala’s alleged criminal history.By the time he finished testifying before the Madlanga Commission it was clear that he was far from exempt from the moral fog in the corridors of power. It was not just that his defence against the two key allegations of an improper relationship with alleged crime kingpin Cat Matala fell apart so easily. Faith in him fell further when he seemed not to have an elementary understanding of the concept of a conflict of interest. When challenged, he admitted he had no idea what the written police rules say on the subject. With the police leadership in its biggest crisis yet, and his own reputation and future on the line, would he not at least take the trouble to prepare himself by checking that before giving evidence?But the worst of Sibiya’s performance was not his exceptionally poor efforts to defend himself, or his ignorance about basic ethics rules in a climate where police corruption is a national crisis. It was that Sibiya blamed the commission for his woes, berating them for failing to highlight his good side..The two main incidents highlighted to test his dodgy relationship with Matlala were that he received a gift of Impalas from Matlala on his game farm, and that he tipped Matlala off that he was losing his police contract by leaking a confidential police report.First he said the report was not confidential. It was “in the public domain.” When the evidence leaders showed him it was marked confidential, he switched to claiming he did not know it would go be forwarded to Matlala. That claim held up for just a few more minutes before his next concession. When he sent the document to the person acting as a go-between with Matlala, clearly it would go to Matlala. Then he denied there were any Impalas on his farm.“I categorically deny that I acquired or received any impala from Mr Matlala or from any other person for that matter. No animal was delivered to my plot. I’ve never had impalas delivered to my home,” Sibiya told the commission.But text messages presented to the commission show Witness F communicating with Matlala about transporting the impalas. Witness F then forwarded a pin location to Sibiya’s home for delivery. After all that, he came closer to the truth, shedding some light on the atmosphere at police HQ. "We are at war,” he said. “There are factions. I do agree. There are conflicts in the police that led to the situation where we are. This is what is unfortunately going on."Then his complaints about the commission took off. "There is no good side of me that is being brought up from whatever I have because I don't have devices,” he said. “I don't have anything. He (General Nhlahla Mkhwanazi) got all the experts. He is still in the office. I am out there in the wilderness... So, quite honestly, the playing field is not level," Sibiya said.He continued by unleashing on the commission proceedings, accusing evidence leader Advocate Adila Hassim of being "a vicious advocate" defending Mkhwanazi. What Sibiya’s appearance showed was the culture of impunity meeting the culture of accountability. Generals like Sibiya were so at sea that they flailed around, clutching at the wildest hypotheses. While the parliamentary committee investigating the matter has been dominated by showboating MPs, the Madlanga Commission has taken the issues very seriously. The commissioners want real reform.But long-timer police watchers say the South Africans who could fix the system will refuse to go in because the culture will make it impossible – unless they are guaranteed unwavering political support from the cabinet. Because until now, ministers have wallowed in the same moral mist as the generals. Real reform would involve bringing the likes of Judge Mbuyiseli Madlanga into cabinet as Police Minister, with a firm mandate to back new generals to clean up the police force once and for all. Anything less won’t do the job.

Matisonn: General Sibiya and the moral fog at police HQ

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