# Shadrack Sibiya and Jackie Selebi, two paths to disgrace

> Former police leaders Shadrack Sibiya and Jackie Selebi fell from power through different corruption paths.
- Title: Shadrack Sibiya and Jackie Selebi, two paths to disgrace
- Summary: Former police leaders Shadrack Sibiya and Jackie Selebi fell from power through different corruption paths. Shadrack Sibiya and Jackie Selebi both lost their…
- Keywords: shadrack sibiya, jackie selebi, saps, apartheid police, hawks, corruption, police career, news, politics, Shadrack, Sibiya, Jackie
- Source: Daily Maverick — https://dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-10-18-sibiya-and-selebi-two-very-different-paths-to-power-and-disgrace
- Author: Mondli Makhanya
- Published: 2026-10-18T07:04:58+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: shadrack sibiya, jackie selebi, saps, apartheid police, hawks, corruption, police career, news, politics
## Two former police leaders
Shadrack Sibiya and Jackie Selebi were both powerful law enforcement officers who fell from grace.
## Sibiya joined apartheid police
Sibiya joined the apartheid police in the 1980s believing he could fight crime without joining the enemy system.
## Selebi was liberation struggle stalwart
Selebi was a stalwart of the liberation struggle and one of democracy’s founding civil servants.
## Mbeki’s political move
President Thabo Mbeki brought Selebi into police service to fast-forward the transformation of the apartheid police force.
## Selebi’s downfall
Selebi was convicted of graft in 2010 after being found guilty of receiving bribes from a drug kingpin.
## Sibiya’s rise through SAPS
Sibiya rose through the ranks of the South African Police Service using political networking skills.
## Sibiya’s Scorpions role
Sibiya became a key investigator in the Scorpions, disbanded by Jacob Zuma for its no-nonsense approach.
## Sibiya’s Hawks leadership
Sibiya led the Hawks in Gauteng but was already in the pockets of criminal elements.
## Sibiya’s downfall
Sibiya was accused of sexually grooming a 16-year-old girl and raping an 18-year-old woman.
## Key takeaway

Shadrack Sibiya and Jackie Selebi both lost their police careers due to corruption and misconduct.