Controversial businessman Serge Cabonge made a string of allegations in a recording played at the Randburg Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, October 13, 2026.
The State played the call as it argued the former deputy national police commissioner Shadrack Sibiya should not get bail.
Sibiya was arrested on September 21, 2026.
He faces five charges including the rape of an 18-year-old woman, the human trafficking and sexual grooming of a 16-year-old girl, and a firearms charge.
He has not been convicted of any offence and denies the allegations.
Sibiya sat listening as the audio played in court.
The conversation features Cabonge making claims involving tenderpreneur Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala, suspended Sergeant Fannie Nkosi and other figures.
Who is on the recording?
The recording captures a phone call between Cabonge and a man identified as Mr M, Sibiya’s former bodyguard and the father of the 16-year-old girl at the centre of the case.
Investigating officer Sergeant Nokukhanya Ndlovu confirmed the identities of both speakers.
The court heard that a week earlier during Sibiya’s bail application, Mr M sent voice notes, WhatsApp messages and recordings to Sibiya’s wife, Sizakele Dlamini. He was expressing his unhappiness with how Sibiya is portraying him in court.
Prosecutor Velile Makasana argued it was relevant to the State’s concerns about possible witness interference.
Allegations involving Cat Matlala, Fannie Nkosi and money
Cabonge denied being the go-between for Sibiya and Matlala. Instead, he claimed the two communicated through Nkosi.
“They were communicating via Nkosi. They removed me from the picture,” he is heard saying.
Cabonge also alleged that Matlala promised Sibiya substantial financial rewards. He claimed Matlala had offered him R500,000 a month from a project.
“Cat was promising Sibiya heaven,” he says, before adding, “I never got it,” referring to the money he claims was promised to him.
The allegations echo earlier testimony at Madlanga Commission, where Matlala allegedly gave Sibiya R2 million in cash towards the purchase of a plot of land in Midrand.
Sibiya is one of the central figures in the Madlanga Commission, which is examining allegations of corruption and criminality involving senior police officers and other figures.
Claims about money and threats
Cabonge also made allegations involving businessman Hangwani “Morgan” Maumela, who has been implicated in the Tembisa Hospital procurement scandal.
He claimed he acted as a middleman between Sibiya and Maumela, whom he referred to as Morgan.
“Me and him, we knocked Morgan. He used me to knock Morgan,” Cabonge says.
In street slang, to “knock” someone can mean obtaining money out of them by underhand means.
Mr M appears surprised by the reference and asks: “Morgan, Morgan the rich guy?”
Cabonge claimed Sibiya kept the money for himself. “Morgan gave the money to him. He took all the money alone. He never gives me nothing.”
He adds: “Every time I collect something for him and I give him, he doesn’t give me anything.”
Cabonge further alleged that Sibiya threatened him over his share of the money. He claimed to have a recording of that threat.
These allegations had not been tested in court. The recording captures Cabonge’s claims but does not, on its own, establish that the alleged events occurred.
Tebogo Thobejane and the women
The conversation also turned to Tebogo Thobejane, Matlala’s former girlfriend.
When Mr M suggested that Sibiya did not know her, Cabonge disagreed.
“He knows her. I have sat with the general and Tebogo a couple of times… maybe because he meets a lot of girls around me,” he says.
The exchange records Cabonge’s account of the alleged meetings but does not independently establish the circumstances in which they took place.
Claims about someone who ‘sits in the front’ at the Madlanga Commission
In a separate part of the call, Cabonge makes allegations about someone “who sits in the front at the Madlanga Commission”.
He claims he had concealed a criminal offence on that person’s behalf, whom he described as a former judge president, by allegedly getting a case withdrawn after the judge’s girlfriend’s daughter accidentally knocked over a pedestrian in Sandton.
He also alleged that the individual advised him to leave the country after his name surfaced at the commission.
Cabonge did not identify the person in the portion of the recording played in court.
He also mentioned the kidnapping of a businessman’s son, although the excerpt provided no further details about the alleged incident.
Sibiya’s defence objects to the recording
Sibiya’s lawyers, Amanda Nel and Estelle Kilian, objected to the recording being played in court.
The defence argued that although Ndlovu could identify the speakers, she could not explain a conversation in which she had not participated.
“You can’t take out one clip,” the defence argued.
Sibiya’s lawyers also maintained that the recording formed part of an attempt to pressure Dlamini over money or the withdrawal of the case.
Sibiya denies raping the 18-year-old, maintaining that their sexual encounter was consensual.
The magistrate allowed the State to play the recording after the prosecution argued that it was relevant to the bail proceedings.
Sibiya bail hearing postponed to Wednesday
Sibiya’s bail hearing was postponed to Wednesday, October 14, 2026, to allow the defence to consult with its client.
The prosecution had also not submitted its witness statements. It said it expected to have them ready the following day.
At the previous hearing, the court heard sexually graphic WhatsApp messages allegedly sent to the teenager.
Sibiya remains in custody at the high-security Kgosi Mampuru prison.
He also resigned from the police on Monday as his disciplinary hearing began.
The South African Police Service confirmed his resignation, describing it as a dishonourable discharge.
