# Former top cop denied bail over witness threats

> Shadrack Sibiya, ex-deputy police commissioner, will stay in custody after a court found he threatened witnesses and destroyed evidence on his phone.
- Title: Former top cop denied bail over witness threats | Shortify
- Summary: Shadrack Sibiya, ex-deputy police commissioner, will stay in custody after a court found he threatened witnesses and destroyed evidence on his phone…
- Keywords: shadrack sibiya, randburg magistrate's court, bail hearing, witness intimidation, evidence destruction, sexual grooming, human trafficking, south african police service, news, politics, Former, top
- Source: Daily Maverick — https://dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-10-20-dangerous-pattern-shadrack-sibiya-denied-bail-over-threats-and-wiped-cellphone
- Author: Sikelelekile Pahlana
- Published: 2026-10-20T14:00:32+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: shadrack sibiya, randburg magistrate's court, bail hearing, witness intimidation, evidence destruction, sexual grooming, human trafficking, south african police service, news, politics
## Sibiya denied bail in Randburg court
Shadrack Sibiya, former deputy national commissioner for crime detection, will remain in custody after the Randburg Magistrate's Court refused his release on bail on October twenty, twenty twenty-six.
## Court finds dangerous pattern of threats
Magistrate Hleziphi Mkhasibe found Sibiya made two threats establishing a dangerous pattern of behaviour.He told Mr M, his former associate and father of a sixteen-year-old complainant: I will wipe out you and your entire family.

> I will wipe out you and your entire family
## Second threat shows intent to harm
Sibiya also told Mr M: I will deal with you easily. Mkhasibe said this established intent to cause harm, not a momentary lapse in judgement, because Sibiya knew Mr M was a State witness and…

> I will deal with you easily
## Magistrate rejects bail application
After weighing Sibiya's constitutional rights against the interests of justice, Mkhasibe found he failed to show exceptional circumstances to be released on bail.

> The applicant failed to show exceptional circumstances to be released on bail
## Sibiya faces six serious charges
Sibiya has been in custody since his arrest on September twenty at Kgosi Mampuru II Correctional Centre.
## Complainants fear for their safety
The sixteen-year-old complainant, in witness protection, said she suffered daily anxiety and feared Sibiya would harm her father if released. The eighteen-year-old complainant reported experiencing suicidal thoughts because of her fear.
## Sibiya wiped his phone before arrest
The State argued Sibiya would tamper with evidence if released.He wiped his phone clean before arrest, destroying potential evidence.
## Magistrate warns of further tampering
Mkhasibe said Sibiya, as a high-ranking police officer, understood the importance of evidence and consequences of destroying it. She found he would go to any length to tamper with evidence implicating him.

> To my mind, the accused will go to any length, and/or there's no end to what he will do, to tamper with evidence that implicates him
## Court rejects defence arguments
Sibiya's advocate Estelle Killian argued the State's case was very weak, with evidence of trafficking insufficient and flimsy.

> There is a strong case against the accused
## Trial set for late November
With the bail application concluded, the case will proceed to trial expected to start on November twenty-fourth, twenty twenty-six, if Sibiya does not appeal the bail decision.
## Key takeaway

Randburg Magistrate's Court denied bail to former deputy national commissioner for crime detection Shadrack Sibiya, citing witness threats, evidence destruction and a dangerous pattern of behaviour.