Joe ‘Ferrari’ Sibanyoni describes ‘avalanche’ of deaths, defends ‘jogging’ texts

Testifying at the Madlanga Commission on Monday, 21 September 2026, taxi boss and extortion accused Joe “Ferrari” Sibanyoni sought to distance himself from any criminal associations, saying he had never hired hitmen or izinkabi (contract killers) and had never had an improper relationship with SAPS members.

Sibanyoni is a former president of the South African Local and Long Distance Taxi and Bus Organisation and previously told the commission that there had been two attempts on his life, first in 2006 and then in 2022. He claimed that alleged “Big Five” cartel leader Jothan Msibi, who died in 2024, was behind the 2006 attempt, while Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala and others have been charged with the 2022 attempt. 

FOR CONTEXT

‘Cele shrugged off critical information’ – extortion accused Sibanyoni talks taxi killings and a cartel

August 28, 2026

“I have experienced a devastating and sustained series of deaths among persons known to me. These deaths occurred in rapid succession, constituting what I can only describe as an ‘avalanche’ and extraordinary concentration of fatal incidents around my circle of associations and colleagues in the taxi association,” Sibanyoni told the commission on Monday.

Sibanyoni noted the 2022 murder of Oupa “DJ Sumbody” Sefoka and the attempted murder of Seunkie “DJ Vettys” Mokubung in 2024.

He maintained that his relationships with police officers and private security companies were legitimate and largely driven by the security threats he said surrounded him and his associates in the taxi industry.

He cited his relationship with Warrant Officer Bhokgolo Mahlangu, whom he described as a “homeboy” and serving police officer. Mahlangu was among those given access codes to Sibanyoni’s Centurion Golf Estate residence, where Sibanyoni said he moved his meetings after people in his circle were killed.

Sibanyoni said the estate access was a security measure, not evidence of an improper police relationship.

“The issuance of estate access codes to persons named, including Warrant Officer Mahlangu and others, must be understood in this security context. It does not evidence any impropriety: it evidences a practical security measure taken in response to a genuine threat environment,” he argued.

He also rejected reports that he had retired, telling the commission he remained active in business and still served as executive leader of the South African Local and Long Distance Taxi and Bus Organisation. 

EXTORTION CHARGES

Who is Joe ‘Ferrari’ Sibanyoni, the taxi boss who survived Matlala’s alleged hit?

May 13, 2026

Charges against Sibanyoni

Sibanyoni faces charges of extortion and money laundering in the Kwaggafontein Magistrates’ Court in Mpumalanga. He allegedly extorted more than R2-million in protection fees from a mining businessman. His co-accused includes Oupa “Bafana” Sindane, a Pretoria based taxi boss, and two others. 

Jogging and ‘izinkabi’

Sibanyoni challenged the commission’s use of 675 pages of cellphone evidence seized during criminal proceedings, arguing that his private communications were repurposed without his knowledge or consent.

He also disputed how some WhatsApp exchanges were presented, saying messages forwarded to him could create the impression that he had participated directly in conversations he was not part of.

“These messages read in isolation would have created a wrong impression,” he said.

Sibanyoni contends that several messages in the commission’s evidence bundle were not communications between him and Sindane, but were in fact messages that had been forwarded to him.

He sought to contextualise several messages, including:

• ‘Dogs are coming and jogging’ – 26 June 2025. Sibanyoni described the message as colloquial. “Dogs”, he said, was a reference to himself and others who were going jogging that morning.

• ‘We are in charge of the streets’ – 25 June 2025. Sibanyoni said the phrase required context and was not a reference to control of the streets in a criminal sense. He said it referred to himself and others being in charge of themselves while out running.

• ‘The dog is dead’ – 7 March 2025. He said this message referred to the shooting of a person known as Mabonga from Money Talks, who was killed during a police shootout. Sibanyoni maintained that the phrase was a colloquial reference to the incident and did not represent an action he had taken or an instruction he had issued.

• ‘Killers’ number’ – 16 January 2025. Sibanyoni said the wording should be read as “Killer’s number”, rather than “killers’ number”. He said the person associated with the number was known as “Ximba”, a nickname he claimed had been used for Nkosana “Killer” Ximba, the controversial former Crime Intelligence member. “I knew Ximba long before he joined SAPS,” he said, arguing that sharing the number was a personal matter and did not indicate anything improper.

• ‘The Inzinkabi’ – 11 August 2025. Sibanyoni also sought to explain a message in which he asked Sindane whether he knew the people referred to as izinkabi, in connection with two names, Sfundo Mhlongo and Khanyiseleni Mbata. He said the term izinkabi was used extensively within the taxi industry to refer to people who protected taxi ranks and operators. The term, he argued, did not invariably mean a hitman or contract killer, and should therefore not automatically be interpreted in that sense when reading his WhatsApp exchanges.

The commission will interrogate this evidence once a date has been scheduled for his next appearance. On Monday, he was allowed to read his 80-page supplementary affidavit with a minimum of interruptions.

The Farm

Evidence before the Madlanga Commission identified Msibi as president of “The Farm”, a network allegedly overseeing the so-called Big Five cartels and linked to extortion, murder, tender fraud, protection rackets and the infiltration of the justice system. 

On 2 September 2026, the commission put faces to the Big Five, naming Katiso “KT” Molefe, Steve Motsumi, Ignatius Mothakathi, Andrew “Boy” Mthethwa, also known as King Nyambose, and the late Msibi as alleged key cartel figures. The evidence has stressed that “Big Five” is a broad description of an organised crime network, and none of the men has been convicted of the allegations.

Msibi allegedly ran the organisation from his farm outside Hammanskraal. 

On Monday, Sibanyoni responded to comments from evidence leader, advocate Sandile Khumalo SC, during the proceedings of 28 August, suggesting he may have taken over as leader of the cartel after Msibi’s death.

“I can understand the temptation to make this connection. As I have stated, I have succeeded as the leader in the taxi industry, which must be distinguished from leading The Farm and wielding the power that flows from it. I therefore flatly and categorically reject this suggestion, with respect.

“I have no association with The Farm, no interest therein, no relationship with the structures connected to it, and no desire whatsoever to assume any role or position in connection with that location,” he said.

Fannie Nkosi: The police link under scrutiny 

Sibanyoni acknowledged knowing Sergeant Fannie Nkosi, who allegedly acted as a middleman between the police and alleged cartel members, as a social acquaintance and “mover and shaker” who had visited his home at least 12 times.

But their relationship came under scrutiny over evidence alleging Nkosi acted as an intermediary between suspended deputy police chief Shadrack Sibiya and businessman Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala, including claims that he collected money on Sibiya’s behalf.

Sibanyoni said Nkosi had facilitated a meeting with KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi for the National Intervention Unit to intervene in issues of taxi violence.

After Msibi’s death in January 2024, his former associates alleged that his family’s taxis were being attacked, with Sibanyoni suspected by some of being behind the violence. Nkosi testified that Mkhwanazi had asked him to arrange a meeting with Sibanyoni to address those allegations. DM