Matlala accuses Sibiya of directing parliamentary testimony

Vusimuzi Matlala told the Madlanga Commission that former deputy police commissioner Shadrack Sibiya used a lawyer to direct his answers to Parliament’s ad hoc committee and pressured him to conceal their relationship. The allegations remain disputed, and the commission has not made findings on them.

Matlala testified that lawyer Bronwynne Forbay would call Sibiya during breaks in committee proceedings and pass the phone to him. Sibiya would tell Matlala what questions to expect and how to answer, he said. Matlala alleged that Forbay warned him not to disclose everything about Sibiya, saying his family could be threatened if he did.

He also said Sibiya had urged him to delete their communications and protect the former officer’s identity. Matlala relayed his wife’s account that Sibiya had called her from a private number and threatened him. These are Matlala’s allegations; the testimony reported does not establish that the threats or directions occurred.

Matlala initially said he had not paid Forbay, but later retracted that testimony and said he had paid the lawyer R50,000. He also accused Forbay of concealing a phone returned by police, while saying another phone was left in a...