South Africa's police service has dismissed Major General Richard Shiburi, the former head of the South African Police Service (SAPS) organised crime unit, following a disciplinary process that found him guilty of misconduct.
"Major General Shibiri was found guilty of misconduct relating to conduct that brought the organisation into disrepute, including associating himself with a known criminal," the statement said.
The dismissal comes at a time when allegations of criminal infiltration within law enforcement are under intense scrutiny, particularly through the ongoing judicial inquiry examining claims of corruption and links between police officials and organised crime syndicates.
State broadcaster SABC reported that Shiburi's removal followed a disciplinary hearing held last month. While SAPS confirmed his departure, it declined to provide further details, citing the confidential nature of employer-employee relations.
‘Links to cartel’
In a statement, SAPS said the disciplinary proceedings were conducted in accordance with organisational regulations and principles of procedural fairness.
The allegations against Shiburi emerged during testimony before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry, where he admitted that alleged cartel member Vusimuzi "Cat" Matlala had loaned him R70,000 to cover repairs on his son's vehicle.
However, evidence presented to the commission raised questions about the necessity of the loan. Bank statements showed that Shiburi and his son would still have had a combined balance of about R50,000 even after paying for the repairs themselves.
Despite his dismissal, Shiburi is expected to continue appearing before the commission, which is investigating allegations of criminal influence within the country's law enforcement structures.
Police accountability
During proceedings in Pretoria on Thursday, Commission Chairperson Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga expressed concern that some of South Africa's most senior police officers appeared reluctant to publicly identify individuals allegedly connected to criminal syndicates.
The concern arose after Shiburi requested that the name of a person mentioned in an audio recording played before the commission be redacted from the public record. The recording formed part of a conversation between Shiburi and a witness identified only as Witness A.
Madlanga questioned why a senior officer tasked with combating organised crime would be afraid to mention the name of an alleged syndicate member and called it “quite concerning".
