Mpumalanga taxi tycoon Joe “Ferrari” Sibanyoni and his three co-accused may soon find themselves back in the dock after the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said it intends to reinstate their extortion and money laundering case once legal requirements are met.
The Kwaggafontein Magistrate’s Court struck the matter off the roll on Monday after senior prosecutor Mkhuseli Ntaba failed to appear for bail proceedings, despite a direct order from the presiding magistrate.
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NPA spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago said the case was not over.
“… I want the public to understand that when it is struck off the roll, it means we can bring it back onto the roll,” he said.
“That can only be done when the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in Mpumalanga brings it right back to the court to re-enrol this matter. And that is going to happen.”
Kganyago confirmed that Ntaba had been suspended pending an internal investigation into his failure to appear.
“We don’t want to jump to conclusions because we are still in the investigation stage. The prosecutor has been suspended so that he can be given a fair opportunity to explain what really happened. But we are also doing our own investigation,” he said.
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The NPA has already instructed the Mpumalanga DPP to re-enrol the matter, Kganyago confirmed.
“The instruction has already been made… possibly by today, they will finalise in this meeting that they’re having this morning, to then re-enrol this matter. But it will be re-enrolled,” Kganyago said.
Sibanyoni was charged alongside Mvimbi Daniel Masilela, Philemon Makhaya Msiza, and Oupa Josiah Bafana Sindane. The group is facing one count of extortion and two counts of money laundering.
