Shadrack Sibiya: I cannot investigate everyone I meet
Shadrack Sibiya has been grilled about his relationships with North West businessman Brown Mogotsi and alleged criminal syndicate leader, Vusimusi 'Cat' Matlala.
The suspended Deputy National Commissioner testified on Tuesday before Parliament's Ad Hoc Committee investigating claims of corruption and criminal interference in the criminal justice system.
He said Mogotsi, whom he knew as an activist, approached him with intelligence, while he met Matlala as a service provider with a tender for the SAPS.
"Are you not aware that you are easily accessible by people who are questionable characters?” MK Party MP Sibonelo Nomvalo questioned.
Sibiya said: "I think if you meet a person or you come across a person who, at this point in time, you don't know that this person has questionable characters or issues that were not really evident from the onset. Like any other normal South African, you don't know this person, but later you come to know that with this person, this name comes, and again, this name comes.
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"That's when you begin to raise your eyebrows and begin to step back. I think it happens naturally that you will meet the person that you think is innocent, but later you find out they are dangerous."
Nomvalo was critical of Sibiya's response.
"No, but even that response is worrisome, General, because you are a police officer. You don't just mingle with anyone. You have integrity and credibility to protect. Before you mingle with people, you first investigate their characters. Are you an irresponsible police officer who just mingles with anyone without checking the credibility of such people?"
Sibiya responded: "I don't think it's fair that every person that I meet, I must investigate. You do meet people, and you won't have the capacity to really conduct a background check on anybody that you meet."
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