A recording in which suspended deputy national police commissioner Lt-Gen Shadrack Sibiya allegedly threatens a man linked to his case was played in the Randburg Magistrate’s Court on Friday as the state opposed his release on bail.
The man, referred to in court as Mr M, is the father of one of the alleged victims in the matter.
Sibiya faces charges including rape, human trafficking and the sexual grooming of a minor. He has denied all the allegations against him.
The state presented the recording as part of its argument that Sibiya could potentially interfere with witnesses if granted bail.
In the recording, Sibiya accuses Mr M of turning against him despite allegedly having received financial assistance from him.
“I took you as my little brother. I even gave you my card for you to buy groceries and I used to give you R4Ks and R10Ks of money, helping you out,” Sibiya is heard saying.
He goes on to accuse Mr M of speaking about him behind his back, saying he had chosen not to confront him because he regarded him as a brother and had been patient with him.
Sibiya then appears to become more agitated as he accuses Mr M of trying to have him arrested.
“Now it’s you who is betraying me and even want to get me to get arrested,” he says in the recording.
In another portion of the recording played in court, Sibiya allegedly tells Mr M: “It’s easy to deal with you. I can deal with you very quickly and easily.”
The recording also suggests that Sibiya continued working with Mr M despite allegedly hearing that he had been speaking about him.
The state argued that the contents of the recording were significant to its opposition to bail because they raised concerns that Sibiya could attempt to influence or interfere with people connected to the case.
The court also heard evidence concerning alleged contact between Sibiya and Mr M around the time of Sibiya’s arrest.
Sibiya’s lawyer, Amanda Nel, questioned investigating officer detective Nokukhanya Ndlovu about whether there was evidence linking Sibiya to any alleged threats or attempts to interfere with Mr M.
Nel put it to Ndlovu that there was no evidence that another man, identified in court as Bishop Maumela, had acted on Sibiya’s instructions.
The court heard that Maumela had taken Sibiya aside at the scene of his arrest to pray with him.
Nel suggested that Maumela may have acted on his own and without instructions from Sibiya.
Ndlovu rejected the suggestion, telling the court that Sibiya had mentioned Mr M’s name while Maumela was present before Maumela took him aside.
The detective also testified that Sibiya later made a call to Mr M.
The defence further questioned Ndlovu about an alleged statement that there would be a “big bomb” on Monday and that the case would be withdrawn.
Nel argued that there was no basis to conclude that the statement had come from Sibiya.
The state, however, maintained that the circumstances surrounding the call and the individuals involved raised concerns about possible interference with the case.
The court also heard about a second recording that appeared to contain a verbal telephone threat involving “Duke”, identified as Sgt Matome Rasekgokga.
The court postponed playing that recording until the next appearance to ensure that the contents could be properly interpreted.
The bail application was postponed to October 7 for further proceedings.
Sibiya will remain in custody until his next court appearance.
