The investigating team in the extortion and money laundering case involving Mpumalanga taxi boss Joe “Ferrari” Sibanyoni and three co-accused has reportedly received threats, raising fresh concerns about the safety of officials handling the matter.
The allegations were brought to the attention of the Delmas Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, October 20, when the four men appeared in connection with allegations that more than R2.2 million was extorted from a businessman involved in a road construction project in Mpumalanga.
State prosecutor Mokgoro Phaladi told the court that the prosecution wanted to place the concerns on record, while making it clear that the state was not directly accusing the accused of threatening investigators.
“We received a concern from the investigating team that they are receiving threats related to this case,” Phaladi said.
“However, we are not insinuating, or making allegations or any inferences. But also we want to place on record that if there is anything related to this case, it must come to an end. We still have a long journey to go in dealing with this matter.”
Defence distances accused from alleged threats
Sibanyoni appeared alongside Oupa “Bafana” Sindane, Mvimbi Daniel Masilela and Philemon Makhaya Msiza.
The defence challenged the manner in which the state raised the allegations, with lawyers denying that their clients were responsible for any intimidation of investigators or witnesses.
The court did not make a finding on the alleged threats during the proceedings.
The issue comes months after state advocate Mkhulisi Ntaba reportedly said he had received threats of assassination ahead of an earlier court appearance in the case. His absence at the time led to a series of controversial developments, including a contempt of court charge that was subsequently set aside by the Mpumalanga High Court.
The case was later re-enrolled in Delmas, with safety concerns among the issues surrounding the handling of the proceedings.
The R2.2 million extortion allegations
The state alleges that Sibanyoni and his co-accused demanded protection fees from businessman Tengane Thomas Ntuli, whose company was involved in supplying stone materials for the R573 Moloto Road construction project.
According to the prosecution, the alleged extortion took place over an extended period between 2022 and 2025, with the businessman allegedly pressured to pay R100,000 a month to allow his operations to continue.
The charges include extortion and money laundering. The allegations have not been tested in court, and all four accused are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Sibanyoni has also denied wrongdoing in other allegations raised in connection with his business and taxi industry activities.
Bail conditions relaxed as case postponed
During Tuesday’s appearance, the state agreed to a relaxation of the accused’s bail reporting conditions. The four men, who were each granted bail of R70,000, will now report to a police station once a month instead of weekly.
The matter was postponed to April 20, 2027.
