Former Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) head Robert McBride has expressed strong confidence in the credibility of suspended deputy national police commissioner Lt-Gen Shadrack Sibiya. However, he characterised KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, former acting national police commissioner Lt-Gen Khomotso Phahlane and police ministry chief of staff Cedrick Nkabinde as lacking integrity. McBride made these assertions during his appearance before parliament’s ad hoc committee investigating allegations of corruption in the criminal justice system on Wednesday.
This comes as McBride faces accusations of colluding with private forensic investigator Paul O’Sullivan to target senior police officials. During cross-examination, MK Party MP Vusi Shongwe questioned McBride on the credibility of several top-ranking officers: McBride: From what I know, he has interfered in Ipid investigations. Perhaps in certain aspects he is, but generally, he is not credible.
McBride: The whole world can see Nkabinde … even the committee sent him home to fix his evidence statement. He is certainly not credible.
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McBride accused Mkhwanazi of actively interfering in Ipid’s work. He alleged that while Mkhwanazi was stationed within the SAPS human resources department, he played an “undue and prosecutorial role” in attempting to scuttle corruption investigations into Phahlane. “He is in HR, yet he is involving himself in investigations,” McBride said.
“He put pressure on Ipid investigator Mandla Mahlangu not to get involved in an investigation, despite that being Mandla’s job. In my opinion, those are voluntary actions that directly affect the integrity of investigations and constitute defeating the ends of justice.”
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