Sibiya denies receiving 20 impalas from Cat Matlala

Deputy national police commissioner for crime detection Shadrack Sibiya has denied allegations Witness F made at the Madlanga commission that he received 20 impalas from businessman and alleged leader of the Big 5 cartel Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala. 

“I categorically deny that I acquired or received any impala from Mr Matlala or from any other person for that matter. No animal was delivered to my plot. I’ve never had impalas delivered to my home,” Sibiya told the commission which is looking into allegations of corruption and political interference in the criminal justice system.

Responding to the allegations of impropriety against him, Sibiya said Witness F had not served as a middleman between him and Matlala and insisted he ran a professional office. 

Witness F, an anonymous police witness, alleged that he facilitated meetings between Sibiya and Matlala. He also said he was present when Matlala visited Sibiya at his office to lay a complaint regarding a police healthcare contract. 

Two months later, Witness F facilitated the delivery of 20 impalas bought from “Rudi Farm Manager” by Matlala and delivered to Sibiya’s residence. 

Sibiya denied that Witness F had been present when Matlala had visited him at his office. He said the impalas were never delivered to his house. He had asked Witness F to procure one buck for him to serve as a companion to the one impala he owned.

“I requested [Witness F], who is acquainted with the property and livestock, to assist me in sourcing a suitable female mate as he had indicated he knew several individuals who farmed with bucks,” he said. 

Text messages presented to the commission show Witness F communicating with Matlala about transporting the impalas. Witness F then forwarded a pin location to Sibiya’s home for delivery. 

However, Sibiya said the impalas had never been delivered and added that he had told Witness F he wanted to purchase only one buck from a farm and could not afford more.

“I never allowed them to be delivered,” he said. “If the message said it’s from Cat, over and above, I wasn’t going to receive anything from the service provider.

“I never said to [Witness F], please go source from Mr Matlala. His promise to me was that he would help me get what I need. As to how he went about, quite honestly speaking, I feel I should not be held responsible or accountable for a discussion between [Witness F] and any other person he would have gone to see or spoken to,” he said.

Sibiya was also questioned about a confirmation text allegedly sent to him by Witness F stating: “It’s from Cat”, after which Sibiya sent a pin drop location.

“I don’t remember explicitly saying no when he said it’s from Cat. I said I was not going to. And then as a result, I knew about crossing the line, and I knew the danger zone now and I knew I had to step back,”

“And how I stepped back, I didn’t just say: ‘Why did you contact Cat?’, ‘Why did you do this?’. I just kept quiet and said: ‘This is not what I need,’ and I left it at that. They were never delivered,” 

He added that senior police officials had visited his home and could attest that he had not had 20 impalas at his residence.

Sibiya testified that he had met Matlala five times, the first being in January 2024 when the businessman had come to his office to complain about a lease dispute relating to his police healthcare contract.

He said he had been unaware of Matlala’s alleged criminal history at the time, although Matlala had been in the news in connection with the Tembisa Hospital tender scandal and the Ekurhuleni blue lights saga.