On Monday, taxi mogul Joe “Ferrari” Sibanyoni appeared in the Kwaggafontein Magistrate’s Court in Mpumalanga on charges of extortion and money laundering alongside three co-accused.

However, the prosecutor did not appear in court, and the case was ultimately struck off the roll. This was despite the magistrate instructing all parties to appear in court that morning at 09:00, although the prosecutor had informed the court of prior commitments.

The court appearance follows accusations by a Mpumalanga businessman that Sibanyoni demanded a protection fee for a road construction project on the R573 (the “Moloto” road, which connects Pretoria with Marble Hall in Limpopo) in the form of a share of the project.

According to National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Monica Nyuswa, Sibanyoni allegedly threatened to shut down the complainant’s business operations should he fail to pay the protection fee.

Sibanyoni has publicly denied the charges on multiple occasions.

This is not the only controversy surrounding Sibanyoni.

He has frequently been cited in testimony at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry into the alleged capture of the criminal justice system, and only a few years have passed since he survived an attempted hit by gunmen armed with assault rifles.

Hailing from Kwaggafontein, Sibanyoni entered the taxi industry at 19 in 1985 and saved enough until he could purchase his own taxi ten years later.

Over time, by reinvesting most of his earnings, he expanded his fleet to around 400 taxis operating in both Gauteng and Mpumalanga today, bringing in roughly R18 million per month.

This success has also helped cement Sibanyoni’s position in the upper ranks of the South African transport industry.

He is currently the executive president of the South African Local and Long Distance Taxi and Bus Organisation, as well as an executive member of the South African National Taxi Council, better known as SANTACO.

However, his business interests go far beyond transportation, as his portfolio also includes prime real estate, IT, and construction businesses, giving him a net worth of about R200 million.

His high-profile and business dealings have landed him in some dangerous situations over the years, having survived two assassination attempts, one in 2006 and another in 2022.

The most recent occurred outside a Centurion golf estate, when two gunmen opened fire on his vehicle with assault rifles, striking him twice in the stomach.

He survived after two Bidvest private security guards returned fire.

Tenderpreneur Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala, who has been in police custody for just over a year, is facing charges for allegedly being behind the hit, which has been linked to taxi rivalries and a succession battle within the alleged “Big Five” cartel, of which Sibanyoni is alleged to be a part.

The “Big Five” cartel has frequently been mentioned in testimony throughout the Madlanga Commission’s proceedings as having infiltrated and influenced even the highest ranks of the South African Police Service.

The group, referred to in testimony as “The Firm”, is believed to comprise taxi bosses and underworld figures and is based in Gauteng, but its operations allegedly extend to other parts of the country, including Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal.

Sibanyoni’s link to the underworld group, alleged in testimony at the commission, comes via his association with the late Jothan “King Mswazi” Msibi, who has been identified as the former leader of the group.

The alleged 2022 hit on Sibanyoni is believed to have formed part of an internal succession battle within the cartel, with Sibanyoni reportedly viewed as a potential successor to Msibi.

The Madlanga Commission also heard and examined evidence that Sergeant Fannie Nkosi, a member of the Gauteng Organised Crime Unit, who has since been arrested, had visited Sibanyoni 12 times between March 2024 and September 2025.

This formed part of testimony examined by the commission in its investigation into allegations of criminal justice system capture.

Sibanyoni has been released from police custody following his court appearance, while Matlala remains detained after being denied bail on several occasions.

The NPA has since stated that it will be re-enrolling the case against Sibanyoni and that it has suspended the state prosecutor formerly assigned to the matter.