A month after 51 Putco buses were torched at three depots in KwaNdebele, Mpumalanga, taxi boss Joe "Ferrari" Sibanyoni approached the bus company with an unsolicited offer to buy its whole fleet. The timing of his interest has raised eyebrows, with many questioning whether it was linked to the attacks. Sibanyoni, who has been accused of extorting businesses operating in Kwaggafontein, denied any involvement in the torching of the buses.
The Madlanga commission of inquiry heard that Sibanyoni had met President Cyril Ramaphosa and minerals and energy minister Gwede Mantashe in January 2024, where he raised concerns about the red tape preventing local businesses from working with Putco. Sibanyoni told the meeting that he wanted to see 30% of the work going to local businesses. This 30% local procurement requirement was part of the government's preferential procurement framework aimed at creating opportunities for local and designated groups through subcontracting.
For nine months, Putco's operations in KwaNdebele came under sustained pressure, with over 350 incidents reported between October 2024 and January 2025, where buses were allegedly blocked from operating by taxi operators. Bus drivers were subjected to constant intimidation. Sibanyoni distanced himself from the attacks, pointing to the registration numbers of the taxis captured in video footage presented to the commission.
On January 27, 2025, Putco suffered a major blow when 51 buses were torched at three of its KwaNdebele depots in one night. A video shown at the commission revealed that it took the attackers less than 10 minutes to hold security guards at gunpoint and torch 16 buses at Putco's Moloto depot. Sibanyoni denied any involvement in the attacks, but just 36 hours later, he sent a text message to his associate, Bafana Sindane, expressing interest in purchasing Putco buses via bank financing.
A month after the fire attacks, Taxichoice, a company whose executives included Sibanyoni and directors of several taxi organisations, approached Putco with a written offer to buy the bus company. They also intended to buy into Putco contracts with other companies. Sibanyoni was appointed as a director of Taxichoice in the same month that operators approached Putco. However, Putco raised concerns about the timing of the approach, stating that the company was not on the market.
Putco said any bona fide interested party would have to meet stringent financial conditions before any further discussions could take place, including a non-refundable R100m deposit to Putco shareholders and a minimum R2bn cash guarantee from a reputable finance house accredited by the Financial Sector Conduct Authority. The chronology of events prompted the chief evidence leader to question whether the attacks on Putco had followed difficulties in securing the proposed 30% local stake and whether they were intended to pressure the company into selling.
Sibanyoni rejected the suggestion that the attacks were linked to his interest in buying Putco. The sale never materialised, and the commission also heard about a separate exchange between Sibanyoni and his associate Sindane involving an internal SAPS report into the murder of Sgt MM Lekalakala near the Mabopane Putco depot. Sibanyoni was questioned about why Sindane would have sent him the internal police report, but he claimed he didn't know why.
Key points
- Taxi boss Joe 'Ferrari' Sibanyoni denies involvement in the torching of 51 Putco buses in Mpumalanga, South Africa.
- Sibanyoni's interest in buying Putco came under scrutiny due to the timing of his approach, which was just a month after the buses were torched.
- The Madlanga commission of inquiry heard that Sibanyoni had met with President Cyril Ramaphosa and minerals and energy minister Gwede Mantashe to discuss Putco's procurement processes.
