Controversial businessmen and taxi tycoons Johannes “Joe Ferrari” Sibanyoni, Bafana Sindane and their two co-accused have been granted bail of R70 000 each.
The state and defence initially agreed on a bail of R50 000 for each accused. However, the Delmas Magistrate’s Court ultimately granted bail of R70 000 to each accused, ordering them to report to a police station every two weeks while out on bail.
The Delmas Magistrate’s Court heard on Thursday that the lives of Sibanyoni and Sindane, popularly known as “King of the Sky”, are in danger as the pair and their co-accused were granted bail in the extortion and money laundering case against them.
Sibanyoni appeared alongside a company linked to him, cited as the second accused in the matter, as well as Sindane, Phillmon Makhaya Msiza and Mvimba Daniel Masilela.
The five accused face charges of extortion and two counts of money laundering.
Allegations of protection fees
Prosecutors allege that between 2022 and 2025, the accused unlawfully forced a businessman in Mpumalanga’s Nkangala district to pay more than R2.2-million in protection fees while threatening to shut down his business operations if he failed to comply.
During bail proceedings, Sibanyoni and Sindane’s legal representative advocate Shaun Abrahams argued that special reporting conditions were necessary because two of his clients faced ongoing security threats.
“The arrangement that we made is that we don’t specifically place on record which police station. My clients’ lives have been in danger. It’s in the public domain, Your worship,” Abrahams told the court.
“It’s a matter of public record that accused number one was a subject of an assassination attempt. Accused Number 5 has been subject to similar threats.”
Abrahams was referring to Sibanyoni and Sindane, respectively.
The court subsequently agreed that the accused would report to a police station to be arranged between the parties rather than having a specific station publicly identified in court.
The court warned the accused not to interfere with witnesses or influence the investigation while on bail.
Case postponed to September 1
According to testimony heard at the Madlanga commission of inquiry, Sibanyoni survived an alleged assassination attempt in August 2022 during a bitter succession dispute linked to the late taxi kingpin Jotham “Mswazi” Msibi.
Evidence presented to investigators suggested that Sibanyoni was shot twice in the stomach outside his Centurion home after gunmen allegedly followed him from a restaurant.
Testimony before the commission further suggested that Sibanyoni’s relationship with Msibi had deteriorated amid disagreements over leadership succession within influential taxi structures.
Investigators have explored whether the attempted killing formed part of a broader power struggle within the taxi industry.
The latest developments follow weeks of legal proceedings that resulted in the original case being removed from the roll in the Kwaggafontein Magistrate’s Court after a prosecutor failed to appear in court.
The matter has since been enrolled in the Delmas Magistrate’s Court, where prosecutors are pursuing the extortion and money laundering charges against the accused.
The case was postponed to September 1 for direction on trial.
- This story has been updated
- Johannes "Joe Ferrari" Sibanyoni, Bafana Sindane, and two co-accused have been granted bail.
- Each accused was granted bail of R70,000.
- The individuals involved are controversial businessmen and taxi tycoons.
- The case and details are still evolving.
- Additional updates and video content are available on the SW YouTube Channel.
Controversial businessmen and taxi tycoons Johannes "Joe Ferrari"
Prosecutors allege that between 2022 and 2025, the accused unlawfully forced a businessman in
“
“It’s a matter of public record that accused number one was a subject of an assassination attempt. Accused
Abrahams was referring to
Evidence presented to investigators suggested that
Investigators have explored whether the attempted killing formed part of a broader power struggle within the taxi industry.
This story has been updated
