State Feared Escape Plan As Sibiya Was Transferred To Pretoria
The State raised concerns about a possible escape plot involving suspended Deputy National Police Commissioner Lt-Gen Shadrack Sibiya, resulting in his transfer from Johannesburg to Kgosi Mampuru II Correctional Centre in Pretoria.
Sibiya, 59, was arrested at a strip club in Rivonia on Monday night. He appeared briefly in the Randburg Magistrate’s Court today, Tuesday, facing charges including r*pe, s**xual grooming of a child and trafficking in persons.
Prosecutors told the court they had intelligence suggesting Sibiya could escape if held at a Johannesburg prison. The defence opposed the transfer, but the court ordered that he remain at Kgosi Mampuru until his formal bail application on 29 September.
The NPA also alleges that witnesses have been threatened and intimidated. Prosecutors said a threatening voice note was sent to a witness at around 14:00 today, Tuesday, while Sibiya was in court.
NPA spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago further claimed that Sibiya could be working with a “cabal” involved in the alleged intimidation of witnesses.
Sibiya has not pleaded to the charges, and the allegations have not been tested in court.