IPHC calls on Madlanga to probe Sibiya-Sandlana links

Witnesses allege the Lieutenant-General was taking bribes from Sandlana in order to insulate him from arrest

- SIFISO MAHLANGU

THE International Pentecostal Holiness Church (IPHC) wants the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry to hold controversial Lieutenant-General Shadrack Sibiya accounatable for alleged interference in investigations linked to Bhekumuzi Gilbert Sandlana, the religious leader of the IPHC Jerusalem faction.

Sandlana runs the church's faction in Pretoria while the churches headquarters is in Zuurbekom West of Johannesburg. The disputes stem from the 2016 death of IPHC founder Bishop Glayton Modise, after which Sandlana declared himself his successor.

The Modise family disputes this claim, and the church executive has repeatedly asked for DNA verification to disprove Sandlana's claim to be Glayton Moidse's son.

In an affidavit submitted to the commission, the church alleges that investigations into Sandlana's conduct were repeatedly obstructed by individuals within the police, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), and other state institutions.

The document names Sibiya among officials who allegedly "shielded" Sandlana from prosecution through the stalling or withdrawal of key case dockets.