- The State says Shadrack Sibiya could flee the country, intimidate witnesses or interfere with evidence. His defence offered R20,000 bail and his passport.
- Sibiya, who denies the charges, has been in custody since 21 September. A bail ruling does not decide whether he is guilty.
Former deputy national police commissioner Shadrack Sibiya is back in the Randburg Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, where Magistrate Hleziphi Mkhasibe is expected to rule on his bail application.
Sibiya, 59, resigned from the South African Police Service on 12 October as his disciplinary hearing began, and the police treated his exit as a dishonourable discharge.
He was arrested on 21 September and has been held at Kgosi Mampuru Correctional Centre in Pretoria since. He faces charges including rape, human trafficking, sexual grooming of a 16-year-old girl and a firearms charge. He denies the allegations.
His bail application ran for three weeks. Mkhasibe reserved judgment on Thursday, 15 October, after closing arguments. She said she needed time to go through the large volume of documents.
Prosecutor Velile Makasana said the State opposes bail because Sibiya could flee the country, intimidate witnesses or interfere with evidence. Makasana told the court that the defence had not shown exceptional circumstances to justify his release.
Sibiya’s lawyer, Estelle Killian SC, proposed bail of R20,000 with strict conditions, including no contact with complainants or witnesses, and said he would surrender his passport.
A bail decision does not decide whether Sibiya is guilty. He is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Scrolla will update this story when the magistrate rules.
