Days after receiving a “loan” from Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala, suspended police organised crime boss Maj-Gen Richard Shibiri went to Sandton, where he splurged on designer sneakers and sandals.
This was revealed at the Madlanga commission on Thursday, where Shibiri was in the hot seat yet again to explain more about the alleged R70,000 loan he claimed Matlala lent him to repair his son’s vehicle.
Shibiri also claimed that he sold his cattle to pay off the loan.
According to evidence before the commission, bank records show that between October and November 2024, Shibiri made two substantial payments in Sandton after receiving R70,000 from Matlala.
The evidence showed he bought Gucci sneakers worth R19,500 in Sandton. Six days later, he bought Louis Vuitton sandals for R17,000.
Zoning in on Shibiri’s bank accounts, commissioner Sandile Khumalo said evidence showed that he had substantial amounts in the bank and therefore didn’t require a loan from Matlala, which he claimed he needed to repair his son’s car.
“The simple proposition that we are putting to you is that your bank statement shows that you did not need a loan, and you certainly did not need to sell any of your cattle to repay Matlala,” Khumalo said.
“At the end of October, you made this purchase before your salary could reflect in your account, and you still had a balance of R47,000, that excludes the overdraft facility of R44,000.
“So you have at least R90,000 available to you for that month, and when you go to November, you have in excess of R90,000 available to you,” he said.
Evidence leader Adv Thabang Pooe also revealed that Shibiri had R50,000 before September 18 2024, the day he received the alleged R70,000 loan from Matlala, which he said he needed to repair his son’s car.
In May last year, when Matlala was arrested and interrogated over the attempted murder of his former partner, Tebogo Thobejane, he told investigators that he connected with senior police officials and was disappointed that they used him while he gave them money.
He also told investigators that he gave Shibiri around R80,000 or R100,000 because (Shibiri) wanted to buy alcohol to celebrate his promotion.
Matlala said he made a payment of R80,000 through one of his companies, but that Shibiri reversed it and said he wanted the money in cash to avoid a paper trail.
However, Shibiri maintained that he needed a loan from Matlala, and the reason he did not use his own money was that he wanted to use it to build a wall at his house.
He said the Gucci sneakers were a gift for a friend who bought him a Zegna suit worth R50,000 the previous year.
Regarding the sandals, he said he had received a wallet as a gift which was worth R14,000 and exchanged it for the Louis Vuitton sandals worth R17,000, and paid the R3,000 difference.
Shibiri is accused of having ties with Matlala and of having possibly alerted him about the raid that took place at his property in Menlyn, Pretoria, in December 2024.
Minutes before Thursday’s proceedings ended, Shibiri sought to block the commission from playing a recording of a telephone conversation between himself and Witness A, citing safety reasons.
However, the recording was later played.
In the audio Shibiri tells Witness A that he had been invited to a farm to celebrate (suspended deputy national commissioner for crime detection) Shadrack Sibiya’s birthday and that Sibiya was going to ask him about the arrest of Katiso “KT” Molefe.
Shibiri tells Witness A that Sibiya is close to the late taxi boss, Jothan “Mswazi” Msibi, EFF president Julius Malema and Sandton businessman Ze Nxumalo.
He further says he knows Sibiya wanted information on Molefe’s arrest for “the other side” and not national commissioner Gen Fannie Masemola.
When Khumalo asked who the other side was, Shibiri initially said it was the police in Sibiya’s faction.
Asked to name them, Shibiri changed tack and said the other side was in fact Molefe’s family, as they did not know where he had been detained.
When Khumalo told Shibiri this meant he had lied when he initially said it was Sibiya’s faction, Shibiri conceded.
When asked whether consequences should follow for lying under oath, he agreed.
Sowetan
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