Audio Recording Implicates Shadrack Sibiya in Tebogo Thobejane Sandton Shooting

• A 20-minute audio recording played during Shadrack Sibiya's bail hearing at Randburg Magistrate's Court directly linked him to the 2023 shooting
• Self-proclaimed blesser Serge Cabonge claimed on the recording that Sibiya dispatched hitmen to assassinate actress Tebogo Thobejane
• Magistrate Hleziphi Mkhasibe postponed the bail hearing to review safety concerns and potential witness intimidation

GAUTENG — An explosive audio recording played at Randburg Magistrate's Court has placed former top police official Shadrack Sibiya at the centre of the October 2023 attempted murder of actress Tebogo Thobejane.

According to News24, the 20-minute recording was introduced by Sibiya's own defence team during his ongoing bail application. In it, self-proclaimed "blesser" Serge Cabonge directly accuses Sibiya of ordering hitmen to kill Thobejane, describing him as "a killer" who wanted to cause Cabonge serious trouble by having her executed.

What the recording revealed

The audio captured a conversation between Cabonge and a State witness identified only as Mr M. At one point, Mr M suggested that Sibiya had no knowledge of Thobejane, but Cabonge rejected this, insisting that Sibiya knew her well and had sat with both of them on multiple occasions. It is important to note that the claims made by Cabonge during the recording remain unverified.

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Thobejane and two companions narrowly survived a drive-by shooting in Sandton in October 2023. One of her friends was left paralysed as a result of the attack. Thobejane's former partner, Vusimusi "Cat" Matlala, along with two alleged hitmen, is currently standing trial in connection with that shooting.

Bail hearing postponed

Magistrate Hleziphi Mkhasibe postponed the bail proceedings after raising concerns about safety and the potential for witness intimidation. No date for the resumed hearing was immediately available.

Sibiya faces a separate set of serious criminal charges unrelated to the Sandton shooting, including rape and sexual abuse, and human trafficking. The bail application concerns those charges, though the audio recording has now drawn the Thobejane shooting into the proceedings. The trial of Matlala and his co-accused over the Sandton shooting continues separately, and Sibiya remains in custody.

Sibiya accused of threatening alleged victim's family

In a related article, Briefly News reported on the alleged threat Sibiya made against a father whose teenage daughter is involved in a criminal case against him. The father told the court that Sibiya threatened his family while he was filing a complaint at a police station. He said he put the call on speaker, allowing an investigator to hear the alleged threat.

Source: Briefly News