‘Man of God’: Joe 'Ferrari' Sibanyoni ends explosive extortion probing testimony with the Bible - IOL

Taxi boss Joe “Ferrari” Sibanyoni faced days of questioning at the Madlanga Commission over WhatsApp messages, payments, alleged extortion, a convicted hitman and his warning about disruptions to PUTCO. He denied wrongdoing before ending his testimony by quoting the Bible.

Jesus was the final word, after a week of R500 million tender, WhatsApp messages, PUTCO arson and warnings, alleged extortion, a convicted hitman and repeated battles over self-incrimination, taxi boss Joe “Ferrari” Sibanyoni reached for the Bible.

Testifying at the Madlanga Commission this week, Sibanyoni quoted Matthew 5:11–12, casting himself as a man enduring persecution.

This is after evidence leader Advocate Matthew Chaskalson, challenged him with uncomfortable questions on WhatsApp messages, video footage and allegations arising from his business and taxi dealings.

All these were taken from his associate’s phone, Bafana “King of the Sky” Sindane.

Sibanyoni disputed the suggestion that the message established his involvement, saying he neither sent it nor remembered receiving it.

He was also challenged over messages describing him as the “new sheriff in town”, apparently referring to his position after the death of former taxi boss Mswazi Msibi.

Sibanyoni rejected the description, saying he preferred “the president”.

But the most explosive evidence concerned PUTCO.

Video footage was put to Sibanyoni from a 2024 meeting involving President Cyril Ramaphosa and Minister Gwede Mantashe, during which he demanded a 30% local stake in PUTCO and warned that, if people heard of disruptions to the bus company's operations, “they must know it’s us”.

The questioning gained further weight after the commission heard that 50 PUTCO buses were torched in January 2025.

Sibanyoni denied ordering attacks and maintained that his language referred to community involvement rather than violence.

His relationship with violence came under renewed scrutiny when he was questioned about paying the legal fees of Gwabo Mahlangu, a convicted hitman linked to taxi-related murders.

Asked why he would finance the defence of an Inkabi, Sibanyoni’s answer was blunt: “His mother asked me.”

Another thread involved businessman Dr Tengane Ntuli and payments totalling about R2.29 million.

Sibanyoni acknowledged receiving R100,000 monthly through what he described as a verbal “local content” partnership, but conceded that he performed no physical work for the payments.

He rejected the characterisation of the arrangement as extortion and instead blamed his associate, Bafana “King of the Sky” Sindane, for allegedly acting alone in sending threatening messages to Ntuli.

Throughout the testimony, Sibanyoni’s legal team also invoked his pending criminal matters in Delmas and Kwaggafontein.

The commission pushed back, with Chaskalson and Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga stressing that a claim of privilege against self-incrimination had to be made in response to specific questions rather than deployed as a blanket protection.

Sibanyoni denied wrongdoing and challenged the allegations put to him before leaving the commission with a final warning: “See me when I see you... If you don’t, we shall see one another in the near future.”

Sibanyoni was repeatedly forced to explain messages, payments, business relationships and statements placed before the inquiry.

The commission has stood down its public hearings and is scheduled to resume on November 9.