Joe “Ferrari” Sibanyoni and his co-accused are expected to return to court on Thursday after their extortion case was struck off the roll.
Image: Oupa Mokoena / Independent Newspapers
Mpumalanga taxi boss Joe “Ferrari” Sibanyoni extortion case is back on the court roll.
Sibanyoni and his three co-accused are expected to line up in the dock of the Delmas Magistrate’s Court.
The four accused are expected to appear in court on Thursday after the matter was transferred amid escalating tensions over the case's sensitivity.
Sibanyoni and his co-accused face allegations of extorting more than R2 million in so-called protection fees from a local mining entrepreneur.
The case was dramatically struck off the court roll on May 18 by Chief Magistrate Tuletu Tonjeni after state prosecutor Mkhuseli Ntaba failed to appear in court.
Tonjeni also issued a warrant for Ntaba’s arrest and convicted him of contempt of court, triggering sharp backlash from the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).
The NPA has since accused the magistrate of misapplying the law and has moved to challenge the rulings in a higher court.
NPA spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago confirmed the authority has also lodged a formal complaint against Tonjeni with the Magistrates Commission.
“The formal complaint is premised on serious concerns that the NPA has in the manner in which she conducted the court proceedings on May 15 and 18 2026 that culminated in the two orders that she granted,” Kganyago said.
The controversial orders included the contempt conviction against Ntaba, the issuing of a warrant for his arrest and the decision to strike the criminal matter from the court roll under Section 342A of the Criminal Procedure Act.
The prosecuting authority has already filed a notice of intention to appeal both the contempt ruling and the arrest warrant, arguing that the developments have serious implications for the administration of justice.
The case has attracted intense attention due to allegations involving extortion, intimidation and organised criminal activity linked to Mpumalanga’s taxi industry.
Meanwhile, Santaco has re-elected Sibanyoni as its second deputy president despite ongoing legal troubles.
IOL Politics