By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The extortion and money laundering case against Mpumalanga taxi boss Joe ‘Ferrari’ Sibanyoni and his three co-accused has been postponed to next year.
Sibanyoni and his co-accused, Bafana Sindane, Daniel Masilela, and Philemon Msiza, appeared before the Delmas Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, 20 October 2026.
They’re accused of extorting more than R2.2 million in so-called protection fees from a mining businessman Tengane Thomas Ntuli between 2022 and 2025.
The payments are linked to the R3.7 billion Moloto Road upgrade project in Mpumalanga.
During the court proceedings, the State prosecutor told the court that they are still probing the matter, with investigations outstanding in respect of SA Receiver of Revenue (SARS).
But the defence counsel noted there is no mention of the revenue service in the charge sheet.
The State prosecutor, who requested his name be withheld over security concerns, insisted this was imperative to the matter.
He also told the court that the investigating team had received threats related to the case. However, the prosecutor made no direct links to any of the accused.
“We’re not insinuating or making any allegations or inferences. We also want to place on record that if there is anything related to this case, it must come to an end.”
Sibanyoni’s lawyer Shaun Abrahams asked the court to make the postponement final for investigative purposes.
Abrahams and other defence counsel also formally requested a relaxation of their bail conditions, asking the court to reduce their mandatory police check-ins to just once a month.
The court ordered that the case docket be disclosed. The matter is expected to return on 20 April 2027 for further proceedings.
The accused are out on R70 000 bail, and their bail conditions have also been relaxed: They now only need to report to the nearest police station once a month, instead of weekly.