Taxi boss Sibanyoni tells Madlanga inquiry he has never hired a hitman

Mpumalanga taxi boss Joe “Ferrari” Sibanyoni told the Madlanga commission of inquiry on Monday, 21 September that he has never hired a hitman and has never associated with police officers for an improper purpose. It was his second appearance before the commission.

As the Mail & Guardian reported on 21 September, Sibanyoni used the session to distance himself from allegations of criminal associations, saying his relationships with police officers and with security service providers were legitimate.

“I emphasise, with clarity, that I have grown up with, known and associated with members of the South African Police Service,” he told the commission. “I have never associated with them for some improper motive or purpose.”

He said hitmen are a prominent feature of his line of business but that he had never used one, and that he had deployed private security after surviving two attempts on his life.

Disputed identifications

Sibanyoni challenged the commission’s identification of people named in its evidence bundle, saying it had conflated individuals who share names or nicknames.

He disputed the identification of a person referred to as “Botsotso”, saying the individual in the commission’s evidence was not the person he knew through his associate, Bafana Sindane. The “real Botsotso”, he said, is someone he came to know through Sindane, who is married into the same household. To his knowledge, that person retired from the South African Police Service on 31 January 2025.

He said he did not know the Botsotso referred to in the commission’s evidence and did not recognise the phone numbers provided.

He also disputed the identification of a person referred to as “Bhokgolo”. He said the Bhokgolo he knows is a warrant officer named Mahlangu, not Calvin Mahlangu, the businessman who owns Gubis 85 Security Solutions, which holds various contracts with the Tshwane municipality. The two share a surname.

Access codes and a security threat

Sibanyoni said he instructed associates to hold meetings at his office in Centurion Golf Estate after receiving sustained threats to his life.

“The issuance of the estate access codes to persons named in the bundle, including WO [Warrant Officer] Mahlangu (Bhokgolo) and others must be understood in this security context,” he said. “It does not evidence any impropriety. It evidences a practical security measure taken in response to a genuine threat environment.”

He said he does not personally know several people listed in the estate’s access records who are of interest to the commission, among them Tlhako Thapelo Emmanuel, Piluda Molepo Elvis and Mashego Andrew Benjamin.

“I reiterate that while I have indeed issued access codes to various persons, I cannot be held responsible for the onward sharing of those codes by the recipients,” he said.

He said he was unaware of communications involving Sindane and several people of interest to the commission.

Other proceedings

Sibanyoni and Sindane have faced separate criminal proceedings involving allegations of extortion and money laundering brought by a mining businessman. Both were released on R50 000 bail.

Separately, Sibanyoni and three co-accused are reported to be out on bail facing charges including extortion, murder and money laundering linked to an alleged protection racket in Mpumalanga.

Sibanyoni is also a witness in the attempted murder case against Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala. He has alleged that Matlala tried to kill him at the behest of his rival and alleged Big Five cartel leader Jotham “King Mswazi” Msibi.

Source: Mail & Guardian, Joe ‘Ferrari’ Sibanyoni denies links to rogue police and ‘izinkabi’