PRETORIA – In a highly anticipated testimony, General Shadrack Sibiya, former head of the Hawks in Gauteng, has firmly denied long-standing allegations regarding his involvement in the aftermath of the murder of South African football star Senzo Meyiwa.
Addressing a panel to “finally clarify” the truth for South Africans, Sibiya provided a detailed timeline of his movements on the night of October 26, 2014, when the national goalkeeper was fatally shot in Vosloorus.
The Timeline of Events
Sibiya clarified that at the time of the shooting—approximately 7:30 PM—he was at his home in Pretoria and unaware of the incident. He received a call from the acting provincial commissioner, General Musiki, around 11:00 PM [01:09].
”Logically speaking, how can I be the first person to arrive past 12:00 when this thing happened at half-past seven?” Sibiya questioned, asserting that he did not reach the scene until after midnight [07:20].
Observations at the Hospital and Scene
Upon reaching the hospital, Sibiya described a chaotic scene packed with people. He reported seeing Meyiwa lying “motionless” in a ward but was unable to enter due to the crowding [02:14].
Deciding that the investigation needed to begin at the site of the crime, he proceeded to the house. Sibiya testified that by the time he arrived, the scene had already been “processed” and “cleaned” by experts [03:38].
- On Scene Contamination: Sibiya adamantly denied that his presence contaminated the evidence, stating the scene had already been “trampled upon by many people” before his arrival [07:00].
- The Physical State of the House: He noted that when the fact-finding team sat down in the sitting room, there was no visible blood or signs of a struggle, describing the area as “clean” [04:07].
Denial of Misconduct
Sibiya used the platform to address specific rumors that have circulated for years, including allegations that he accepted a bribe or tampered with a firearm.
”I have seen messages that say I took a million and I shifted a firearm… at what point would I have done that?” [05:43].
He highlighted that despite more than ten different investigative teams looking into the case, he has never been called as a witness or asked to submit a formal statement, which he suggests is proof of his lack of involvement in the core investigation [05:30].
”Gathering Dust”: Concerns Over Other Dockets
The proceedings took a turn when Sibiya was questioned about other outstanding investigations, including a 2016 double murder involving an ANC member. Sibiya pointed out that the last entry in that specific docket was dated March 2023 [12:07]. He expressed concern that the file had been “gathering dust” for nearly two years without progress on analyzing critical cell phone records (Section 205) to place suspects at the scene [12:45].
Conclusion
Sibiya concluded his testimony by emphasizing his 37 years of experience in investigation and reiterating that his only role on the night of Meyiwa’s death was as part of a high-level response team to a national tragedy. He remains firm that he has “done nothing wrong” in relation to the case that has gripped the nation for over a decade.
Beyond 