Lieutenant-General Shadrack Sibiya has told the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry that he believes he is being politically targeted by the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party.
Sibiya, who was suspended as Deputy National Commissioner for Crime Detection in September last year, is at the centre of corruption allegations being investigated at the commission.
He testified that the same MK statement was used to support a search warrant for his home and that party members had publicly protested against him at police headquarters. Sibiya also described receiving threatening messages on social media, which he says warned him against acting against provincial police leadership in KwaZulu-Natal.
Among the allegations he faces, Sibiya addressed claims that he had defrauded the South African Police Service by submitting false travel kilometres. He said these claims were later dismissed by a court.
Sibiya explained that the allegations were linked to two of his luxury private vehicles, which were registered for official police use. He added that the accusations were part of a broader effort to damage his reputation as a senior officer. Considering the engine capacity of the vehicles, he said, the travel claims he submitted were actually lower than what he was entitled to.
The testimony paints a picture of a senior officer under pressure from both legal and political fronts, as the commission continues to probe corruption allegations within the police service.