The Madlanga Commission of Inquiry has heard testimony from businessman and Mpumalanga taxi boss Joe 'Ferrari' Sibanyoni, who is facing questions about alleged extortion, business relationships, and payments. Sibanyoni's meeting with President Cyril Ramaphosa and Mineral and Petroleum Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe in January 2024 has brought into focus his political access and commercial ambitions. During the meeting, Sibanyoni demanded a 30% local stake in the bus company Putco.
The commission was shown video footage of Sibanyoni addressing Ramaphosa and Mantashe, in which he claimed to be speaking on behalf of the community in KwaNdebele. Sibanyoni said that anyone interfering with Putco should know "it's us". The exchange reveals not only Sibanyoni's political access but also his commercial ambitions and alleged influence in the public transport sector. The Putco evidence before the commission also brought into focus the blockades and attacks that targeted the bus company.
Sibanyoni denied any involvement in the attacks, which included the torching of 51 Putco buses across three depots in January 2025. He suggested that Putco may have torched its own buses amid labour and industry disputes, although he had no evidence for the theory. The commission also heard that Sibanyoni had previously told the inquiry that there had been two attempts on his life — in 2006 and 2022.
Sibanyoni alleged that Jothan Msibi, described as a "Big Five" cartel leader who died in 2024, was behind the first attempt. Vusimuzi "Cat" Matlala and others have been charged in connection with the second attempt in 2022. Sibanyoni and associate Oupa Bafana Sindane and two others face charges of extortion and money laundering in the Kwaggafontein Magistrates' Court in Mpumalanga.
The allegations relate to Ntuli's Tengane Mining, which obtained a mining right in Mkobola in December 2022 to supply aggregate to King Civil, the SA National Road Agency's (Sanral's) main contractor for part of the Moloto Road. The commission also heard that Sibanyoni had intervened in an existing commercial relationship between Gauteng Central Bus Services (GCBS) and Putco.
Sibanyoni said he was acting for GCBS over the R50,000 Putco paid per bus, which he argued was insufficient to cover financing and operating costs. He said he pushed for the payment to rise to about R90,000 per bus to cover instalments, running costs, and drivers. The chairperson questioned why Sibanyoni had intervened in an existing commercial relationship.
Sibanyoni's testimony also placed his Putco ambitions against a company that had already made its position clear: it did not want to sell. He told the commission that his last engagement with Putco was receiving a report-back on 2 August 2024. The commission heard that Taxichoice, an affiliate of the South African National Taxi Council (Santaco), wrote to Putco on 25 February 2025 with an "unsolicited offer" to acquire a stake in, or the whole of, the business.
Key points
- Sibanyoni's meeting with President Ramaphosa and Minister Mantashe raises questions about his political access and business ambitions.
- Sibanyoni demanded a 30% local stake in Putco during the meeting with Ramaphosa and Mantashe.
- The commission also heard that Sibanyoni had intervened in an existing commercial relationship between Gauteng Central Bus Services (GCBS) and Putco.
