The arrest warrants stem from the NPA's decision to re-enrol in the R2.2 million extortion and money laundering case.
Mpumalanga taxi boss, Joe “Ferrari” Sibanyoni. Picture: Social media.
Mpumalanga taxi boss, Joe “Ferrari” Sibanyoni and his co-accused, Oupa “Bafana” Sindane, have withdrawn their urgent court application challenging the National Prosecuting Authority’s (NPA) arrest warrant.
The NPA confirmed on Sunday the withdrawal of Sibanyoni and Sindane’s urgent bid to stop their arrest in an extortion case.
Arrest warrants
The arrest warrants stem from the NPA’s decision to re-enrol the R2.2 million extortion and money-laundering case against Sibanyoni and his co-accused, which had been struck off the roll by the Kwaggafontein Magistrate’s Court on 18 May.
The state alleges that between 2022 and 2025, the four men forced a businessman operating in the Nkangala district to hand over more than R2.2 million in so-called “protection fees”.
Bail
Bail proceedings in the Kwaggafontein Magistrate’s Court in Mpumalanga were thrown into chaos when the state prosecutor failed to appear. The matter was struck from the court roll as Justice Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi joined the chorus of outrage over the fiasco.
Three of the men were arrested by law enforcement on 12 May, while Sindane, who allegedly attempted to evade arrest, later handed himself over to police on the Friday of that same week.
Notice of withdrawal
According to the NPA, attorneys representing Sibanyoni and co-accused Sindane filed a notice of withdrawal on Friday, shortly after the pair were granted R70 000 bail.
The matter had been set down for hearing in the Mbombela High Court on 2 June.
“Their filing of the notice of withdrawal brings the matter to an end as far as the re-enrolment of the criminal case and the warrants of arrest are concerned,” NPA spokesperson Kaiser Kganyago said.
Complaint
Kganyago also noted that the Magistrates Commission has confirmed it is investigating a complaint lodged by the Director of Public Prosecutions in Mpumalanga against Chief Magistrate Tuletu Tonjeni on 26 May 2026.
“We also wish to inform the public that we are still awaiting written reasons from Chief Magistrate Tonjeni and the date for the hearing of the application for leave to appeal that we filed on 22 May 2026.
Commitment
National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) Advocate Andy Mothibi reiterated the NPA’s commitment.
“The NPA reaffirms its position of using every legally permissible avenue to resist any litigation that seeks to militate against the upholding of the rule of law and holding those accused of criminality accountable,” said Mothibi.
Last week, Mpumalanga police said there was still a strong case against Sibanyoni and his co-accused in the Kwaggafontein extortion matter, despite what had transpired in court.
