Security guard Bethwell Mzamo Cele recounted the moments leading up to and during the shooting.
Bethwell Mzamo Cele appears in the Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg on 21 July 2026. Picture: Gallo Images / Sharon Seretlo
A security guard delivered gripping testimony in the Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg, describing how he narrowly escaped death during a brazen alleged assassination attempt targeting taxi boss Johannes “Joe Ferrari” Sibanyoni.
The second day of the high-profile trial involving alleged mastermind Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala, his wife, Tsakane Matlala, hitmen Musa Kekana, Tiego Floyd Mabusela and Nthabiseng Zandile Nzama got underway in court on Tuesday, 21 July 2026.
The five accused have pleaded not guilty to 25 charges, including 11 counts of attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, fraud (defeating the ends of justice as an alternative), money laundering, and the illegal possession of prohibited firearms and ammunition.
The charges stem from a series of three attempted murder incidents allegedly orchestrated by Matlala.
One of these is linked to a shooting in 2022 at the Centurion Golf and Country Club Estate where Sibanyoni and four other individuals were reportedly targeted.
According to the state, the shooting was carried out by alleged hitmen Kekana and Mabusela, who are accused of using AK-47 rifles and acting under Matlala’s instruction.
Sibanyoni reportedly sustained two gunshot wounds to the stomach after alleged gunmen driving a white BMW opened fire.
Security guard testifies in Cat Matlala attempted murder trial
Taking the stand, security guard Bethwell Mzamo Cele recounted the moments leading up to and during the shooting.
Cele told the court that he had been working at the estate for just five months when he noticed a white BMW behaving suspiciously shortly before 11.25pm on 10 August 2022.
The vehicle slowed down, appeared to scout the area, then made a U-turn and stopped near a red Ferrari and a white VW Golf 7.
Moments later, two armed men emerged carrying AK-47 rifles and shot in the security guard’s direction.
“I was missed by the first bullet,” Cele said.
Cele and his colleague, Khayalethu Francis Mazibuko, ran to shelter behind a tree as the gunmen kept firing at them and simultaneously directed shots elsewhere.
He responded by drawing his Sarsılmaz 9mm firearm issued to him by his employer, Bidvest Protea Coin.
“Mazibuko screamed at us and said, ‘Cele, we can’t die while you are in the possession of a firearm’.
“So, I pulled out my firearm, cocked it and fired some shots. I fired five rounds,” the witness said.
Cele testified that he later saw one of the attackers appeared injured before fleeing back into the BMW through a window.
Meanwhile, the second gunman continued firing while taking cover behind the vehicle.
“One of them said ‘die, you dog’ and he started shooting again.”
As the shooting intensified, occupants of the Ferrari and the VW Golf fled into the estate for safety.
‘I wished I had an AK-47’
Cele described a particularly harrowing sight, telling the court that one of the victims had been shot in the stomach, with his intestines visibly protruding as he ran.
“[I] managed to spot his intestines outside. The person who was wounded was from the Golf. I’m not sure about the occupants of the BMW whether they were injured or not.”
He further said he discharged a total of 15 rounds during the exchange and saw that the attackers were armed with three AK-47 rifles.
“It was a fight that day. Even myself, I wished I had an AK-47.”
Cele added that the reality of what had happened only sank in the following day.
“I would have been one of the people buried today.”
Court rejects CCTV evidence
Proceedings also saw a legal setback for the state after judge Cassim Ismail Moosa ruled against the immediate introduction of CCTV footage.
Defence lawyers, including advocate Annalene van den Heever, representing Matlala, and Riaan Gissing, challenged the admissibility of the footage, arguing that its origin and authenticity had not been properly established.
They suggested the state either authenticate the video through a witness, proceed with other evidence or recall witnesses later.
The judge agreed, ruling that the footage could not be admitted until its authenticity is proven.
“It’s the duty of this court to ensure at all material times that the accused enjoy the rights to a fair trial,” Moosa said.
Additional attempted murder incidents
The trial also covers two other alleged attempted murder incidents.
One involves Matlala’s ex-partner and actress Tebogo Thobejane, her friends, Anele Alicia Malinga and Khumbulani Ncube, who were shot in an ambush on the N1 highway near Bryanston, Sandton in October 2023.
Thobejane was wounded in the foot, while Malinga suffered a spinal injury that left her wheelchair-bound.
The third incident concerns music producer Seunkie “DJ Vettys” Mokubung, Leonard Buhle Masango and Tswarelo Tshepiso Pitse, who were allegedly targeted in Pretoria West in January 2024.
