- A 16-year-old girl says she fears for her family’s safety after former deputy national police commissioner Shadrack Sibiya allegedly threatened her father.
- An 18-year-old rape complainant says she has suffered suicidal thoughts and fears more harm if Shadrack Sibiya leaves prison on bail.
Two young women who have accused former deputy national police commissioner Shadrack Sibiya of sexual crimes are begging the court not to release him on bail.
They say they fear for their lives and the safety of their families if he walks free.
The two complainants shared their fears in statements read out at the Randburg Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, 14 October 2026.
State prosecutor Velile Makasana read the statements after Magistrate Hleziphi Mkhasibe asked for them to help decide whether Sibiya should get bail.
The youngest complainant is a 16-year-old girl identified as ZM. She is under witness protection.
She told the court that she lives with fear every day because of the case.
The teenager met investigating officer Sergeant Nokukhanya Ndlovu on Tuesday, 13 October, to discuss how she felt about Sibiya possibly getting bail.
“As she was talking to me, my anxiety levels went high, and I became afraid,” she said.
She fears Sibiya because of his senior position in the police and threats he is said to have made against her father.
“I feel my entire family will be exposed to more danger and I would blame myself as I am the one who reported the matter.”
Her father, who worked as Sibiya’s bodyguard and driver, previously claimed that Sibiya threatened to “wipe out” his family after he reported the matter to the police.
Sibiya is accused of sexually grooming the teenager. He denies the accusation.
The second complainant, an 18-year-old identified as MC, told the court that she has struggled with suicidal thoughts since the alleged rape on 16 May 2026.
She fears Sibiya could hurt her again if he gets bail.
“He will therefore find me dead already as I have already suffered enough,” she said in her statement.
She also fears that releasing Sibiya would destroy her trust in the justice system.
The young woman claimed that a friend told her Sibiya’s defence team had approached her to make a statement that would go against her evidence. The friend refused, according to the complainant.
She said fear has taken over her daily life and affected her friends and family.
“My movements and activities are limited, and I wish this can come to an end,” she said.
Sibiya faces charges of rape, sexual grooming, human trafficking and breaking the Firearms Control Act.
Police arrested him at The Grand strip club in Sandton on 21 September 2026.
The state claims he sexually groomed the 16-year-old and exchanged sexually explicit material involving her through WhatsApp between 20 July and 3 August 2026.
He is also accused of giving the 18-year-old alcohol before she lost consciousness and was raped at the Garden Court Hotel in Sandton.
Sibiya claims the young woman agreed to have sex with him.
He resigned from the South African Police Service on 12 October 2026.
The court is considering his bail application.
