By Johnathan Paoli
Prominent taxi boss and businessman Joe “Ferrari” Sibanyoni has allegedly been arrested by members of the Special Task Force in connection with what is understood to be an extortion-related investigation.
According to multiple media reports, Sibanyoni was arrested overnight and taken to the Middelburg Police Station, where he was being held on Tuesday morning.
Mpumalanga police spokesperson Colonel Mavela Masondo confirmed that three people had been arrested in connection with a 2025 case, but said police could not name the suspects before their court appearance.
Masondo had not responded to additional questions from Inside Politics at the time of publication.
While police had not formally released the charges at the time of publication, several reports indicated that the arrests were linked to an extortion case.
Sibanyoni’s name has surfaced repeatedly in recent months in investigations involving taxi violence, alleged underworld networks, and claims of police corruption.
He has also been linked in evidence before the Madlanga Commission to alleged crime kingpin Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala.
The flamboyant businessman, known for his fleet of luxury sports cars and high-profile lifestyle, has become a recurring figure in evidence before the commission, which is probing criminality, political interference and corruption within the criminal justice system.
During court proceedings involving Matlala last year, related to the attempted murder of his former girlfriend, actress and socialite Tebogo Thobejane, the court also heard allegations that Sibanyoni had been targeted in a botched hit outside Centurion Golf Estate in Pretoria in August 2022.
That alleged shooting has been linked in police investigations and commission-related reporting to a wider power struggle involving figures alleged to be part of the so-called “Big Five” cartel, although those allegations have not been tested in court.
Sibanyoni’s rise in the taxi industry has often been described as extraordinary.
Born in Mpumalanga, he reportedly began as a taxi driver in Kwaggafontein in 1985 before building a sprawling transport business from a single minibus taxi.
Over the years, he diversified into trucking, construction, mining, property and information technology.
Following the death of influential taxi boss Jotham “Mswazi” Msibi, Sibanyoni was elected president of the South African Local and Long-Distance Taxi and Bus Organisation, significantly expanding his influence within the industry.
This is a developing story.
