Mpumalanga taxi boss Joe "Ferrari" Sibanyoni has denied allegations of links to rogue police officers and the criminal underworld. During his second appearance before the Madlanga commission of inquiry on September 21, Sibanyoni sought to distance himself from allegations of criminal associations. He stated that his relationships with police officers and security service providers were legitimate and that he had never associated with them for improper motives.
Sibanyoni emphasized that he had grown up with and known members of the South African Police Service, but had never used their relationships for improper purposes. He also denied hiring hitmen, known as "izinkabi," despite acknowledging their prominence in his line of business. Sibanyoni stated that he had deployed private security after surviving two attempts on his life.
Sibanyoni and his close associate, Bafana Sindane, have faced separate criminal proceedings involving allegations of extortion and money laundering brought by a mining businessman. The two were each released on R50,000 bail. Sibanyoni and three co-accused are also reported to be out on bail facing charges including extortion, murder, and money laundering linked to an alleged protection racket in Mpumalanga.
Sibanyoni challenged the commission's identification of individuals mentioned in its evidence bundle, saying that it had conflated people with similar names or nicknames. He disputed the identification of a person referred to as "Botsotso," saying the individual mentioned in the commission's evidence was not the same person he knew through his associate, Sindane.
Sibanyoni said he did not know the person referred to as Botsotso in the commission's evidence and did not recognize the phone numbers provided. He also disputed the identification of a person referred to as "Bhokgolo," saying the individual was not Calvin Mahlangu, the businessman and owner of security company Gubis 85 Security Solutions.
Sibanyoni said he had instructed associates to hold meetings at his office in Centurion Golf Estate after receiving sustained threats to his life. He explained that the issuance of estate access codes to persons named in the bundle, including WO Mahlangu (Bhokgolo) and others, was a practical security measure taken in response to a genuine threat environment.
Sibanyoni said he did not personally know several individuals who were persons of interest to the commission and listed in the estate's access records. He reiterated that while he had indeed issued access codes to various persons, he could not be held responsible for the onward sharing of those codes by the recipients.
Key points
- Sibanyoni denies links to rogue police officers and hitmen.
- He claims his relationships with police officers were legitimate.
- Sibanyoni disputes the commission's identification of individuals mentioned in its evidence bundle.
