Former deputy national police commissioner Shadrack Sibiya will remain behind bars after the Randburg Magistrate’s Court denied his bail application on Tuesday, 20 October 2026.
During his bail application, Sibiya told the court that he suffers from claustrophobia and feared he would not survive being confined to a prison cell. He reportedly asked the court to give him the keys to his cell so that he could get fresh air whenever he needed it.
However, the court ruled that he had failed to prove exceptional circumstances that would justify his release on bail.
In addressing his concerns about his health in custody, the court reportedly pointed out that the prison has a hospital wing where he could receive medical attention if he became ill.
Sibiya is being detained at Kgoshi Mampuru II Correctional Centre while awaiting the continuation of his criminal case.
He faces allegations including the rape of an 18-year-old woman and the sexual grooming of a 16-year-old girl. He has denied the allegations of sexual wrongdoing, and the charges have yet to be proven in court.
