Mpumalanga taxi boss Joe “Ferrari” Sibanyoni (60) and his four co-accused, have been granted bail of R70 000 each following their appearance today (28 May) in the Delmas Magistrate’s Court on charges of extortion and money laundering.

The case has been postponed to 1 September for the state to disclose the contents of the docket to the defence. The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has afforded the legal representatives of the accused three months to submit representations to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions in Mpumalanga.

Sibanyoni appeared in court alongside Phillimon Makhaya Msiza Mvimba, Daniel Masilela, Oupa Sindane and M&J Sons, an entity allegedly owned by Sibanyoni, on warrants of arrest. The matter was recently re-enrolled and transferred from the Kwaggafontein Magistrate’s Court to Delmas due to safety and security concerns.

The bail conditions require the accused to attend all court proceedings until the matter is finalised, refrain from interfering with witnesses, report to a police station every alternative week and not commit any offence whilst out on bail.

The state alleges that between 2022 and 2025, the accused unlawfully exerted pressure on a complainant by forcing him to pay protection fees amounting to more than R2.2 million, allegedly threatening to shut down his businesses should he fail to comply. It is further alleged that the payments made by the complainant were channelled through M&J Sons.

The case has been marred by controversy and dramatic twists since the initial arrests in May. Three of the accused were arrested on 12 May, whilst Sindane, who initially attempted to evade arrest, handed himself over to authorities on 15 May.

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The matter took an unprecedented turn on 18 May when state prosecutor Mkhuseli Ntaba failed to appear at a bail hearing at the Kwaggafontein Magistrate’s Court. According to National Director of Public Prosecutions Andy Mothibi, Ntaba received death threats whilst driving to court that morning, warning him he would be killed if he proceeded with the hearing. The prosecutor turned back and did not appear in court.

Chief magistrate Tuletu Tonjeni struck the matter off the court roll, convicted Ntaba for contempt of court and authorised a warrant for his arrest. The accused walked free at that stage.

The NPA subsequently suspended Ntaba and filed for leave to appeal against the magistrate’s contempt of court ruling and the authorisation of the warrant for the prosecutor’s arrest. The prosecuting authority also filed a formal complaint with the Magistrates Commission against Tonjeni, stating she misapplied the law in her handling of the proceedings.

The NPA announced yesterday that it was re-enrolling the case at the Delmas Magistrate’s Court.

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