Sibiya Admits Failing Competency Test at Time of Appointment

Sibiya agrees that he failed competency at appointment.

by Mathipa Phishego

In Ad Hoc Parliament Committee revelation, former Johannesburg head of Metro Police, Shadrack Sibiya, has admitted that he had failed a competency test at the time of his appointment in November 2016.

The confession comes years after then-mayor Herman Mashaba publicly praised Sibiya as a competent and capable leader when he announced his appointment to head the city’s law enforcement.

During testimony before a parliamentary inquiry on Tuesday, Sibiya conceded that he did not meet the competency requirements when he was appointed. “I must admit that at the time, I had not passed the competency test,” he told the committee.

The revelation raises questions about the integrity of the appointment process under Mashaba’s administration, which had championed transparency and merit-based recruitment.

At the time, Mashaba had lauded Sibiya’s appointment as a step towards restoring law and order in Johannesburg, describing him as “a competent person with a proven record in crime intelligence and investigation.”

Citizens have since called for an investigation into how Sibiya was appointed despite the failed test. City of Johannesburg officials have not yet commented on the matter.