Known on the streets and the social pages as “Joe Ferrari,” Madoda Johannes Sibanyoni has built a transport empire from the ground up, surviving both poverty and assassins’ bullets to become one of the most powerful and feared men in South Africa.
This week, Sibanyoni appeared alongside Philemon Makhaya Msiza, Mvimbi Daniel Masilela and Oupa Josiah “Bafana” Sindane in the Kwaggafontein Magistrates Court over allegations of extortion amounting to R2.2m.
The Sunday Times understands that Sibanyoni allegedly extorted money from a prominent South African executive and business leader with an extensive footprint across the housing development, social housing, and mining sectors.
The businessman is known to the Sunday Times but has not been mentioned in court.
His company is heavily engaged in the extraction and exploration sectors, and bids for public works projects, infrastructure development and municipal tenders. This includes key expressions of interest with municipalities like the Steve Tshwete Local Municipality for land and residential purchasing.
The enterprise runs controlled operations — such as planned blasting activities — within the Thembisile Hani Local Municipality near Kwaggafontein and Middelburg in the Mpumalanga province. It holds various manufacturing and petroleum-related regulatory approvals issued by the department of mineral resources and energy.
An insider close to the case told the Sunday Times that the extortion involved a protection fee for the construction of Moloto Road (R573) in which Sibanyoni allegedly demanded a cut from the project.
The accused allegedly threatened to shut down the complainant’s business operations should he fail to comply with their demands
— Monica Nyuswa,NPA spokesperson
Sibanyoni’s advocate, former national director of public prosecutions Shaun Abrahams, argued in court that his client had a business relationship with the complainant, but the insider told the Sunday Times that no such relationship existed.
“The company was supplying aggregate [minerals] to Sanral in the R573 construction project when he was approached to pay Sibanyoni [a] protection fee. They have never been friends nor did they have any business relationship. The businessman made himself as a business person without Sibanyoni. All that stuff that was said in court by (Sibanyoni’s) lawyer was absolute nonsense,” said the insider.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), the state alleges that between 2022 and 2025, in the Nkangala District, the accused “unlawfully exerted pressure on the complainant by forcing him to pay a protection fee amounting to more than R2.2m”.
“The accused allegedly threatened to shut down the complainant’s business operations should he fail to comply with their demands,” said NPA spokesperson Monica Nyuswa.
However, those close to Sibanyoni claim that there was a deal between the two with regards to him being a partner of theirs in a sub-contract on a wider Moloto Road construction project.
“The guy had a quarry, and Joe and them assisted him to get the yellow plant onto the contract as well. Tension between them began after the guy secured an extension of the sub-contract on his own and did not want to split the revenue with Joe,” said an insider.
Today, Sibanyoni sits at the top of the taxi industry as executive president of the South African Local and Long-Distance Taxi and Bus Organisation, and a key executive member of the South African National Taxi Council.
But his ascent from a 19-year-old taxi driver in Kwaggafontein in 1985 to a mogul with a net worth estimated at more than R200m is now being dissected by the Madlanga Commission, where allegations of a shadowy “Big Five” cartel have put him and his Ferraris in the national spotlight.
While Sibanyoni portrays himself as a man of peace and a community builder — evidenced by his Joe Sibanyoni Foundation and its R1bn investment pledge — the Madlanga Commission paints a darker picture.
Investigators have alleged that Sibanyoni is a key figure in the “Big Five” cartel, a group accused of manipulating police investigations and controlling lucrative routes through violence and extortion. The commission has heard explosive testimony regarding Sibanyoni’s relationship with suspended SAPS Sergeant Fannie Nkosi.
Records show Nkosi visited Sibanyoni’s home at least 12 times and allegedly sent him confidential police documents and “laduma” messages celebrating raids on Sibanyoni’s enemies. Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga recently confronted Nkosi at the Commission, accusing the officer of lying about the depth of his ties to the “Ferrari” mogul.
Sibanyoni, 60, was also among those who addressed President Cyril Ramaphosa when he visited Ndzundza Ndebele King Mabhoko in January 2024.
While addressing Ramaphosa, he threatened to “fight” Putco, saying the bus company should give them a stake in the company.
“We are busy engaging with Putco but we are coming across red tape. Putco has been operating here for 43 years. Please assist us. When you find someone that wants to interfere with Putco business, you must know it’s us,” Sibanyoni told Ramaphosa at the Ndzundza Royal House in Mthambothini village near Siyabuswa.
Posing with Ramaphosa at the gathering, he told the president that he was prepared to “fight” for a stake in the local mines.
“Don’t put any red tape, assist us on how we get into the space. We are fighting for our own 30% within Putco … it is gazetted that the 30% belongs to the people of KwaNdebele but when you talk to the HOD [head of department], they tell you something about red tape … if they [Putco] don’t follow that, we will fight for ourselves,” Sibanyoni told Ramaphosa.
“There are mines here in our area. We will go visit them. Don’t worry, while you are restructuring the government we will go there at the mines. When you see people at the mines from KwaNdebele you must know it’s us. Don’t fight us, just support us,” Sibanyoni said.
He said it was a “shame” that mines had been operating in the area for 100 years but there had been no improvements in the Ndzundza Royal House.
In January last year, more than 50 Putco buses were torched in coordinated attacks on four Mpumalanga depots in Vaalbank, Moloto, Siyabuswa and Wolwekraaal in one night. The motive for the arson attack was unclear.
Sibanyoni’s story is a classic South African township odyssey. Starting with a single vehicle in 1985, he methodically expanded his fleet by reinvesting every cent. By 2025, his empire had reportedly grown to about 400 taxis operating across Gauteng and Mpumalanga, generating an estimated R18m in monthly revenue.
His wealth is not just in minibus taxis. His portfolio includes mining, IT, construction, and prime real estate. In early 2025, Sibanyoni sought to cement his status as a national player by partnering with David Skosana, an MK Party MP, in a R15m bid to acquire the troubled Royal AM Football Club. Although the bid ultimately failed, it signalled Sibanyoni’s intent to move his wealth into mainstream South African culture.
The true cost of Sibanyoni’s power became bloodily apparent on the night of August 10 2022. After a dinner at Ukko restaurant in Bryanston to celebrate the purchase of a new red Ferrari vehicle, Sibanyoni was ambushed outside the Centurion Golf Estate.
Gunmen in a white BMW 335i opened fire with AK-47 and R5 rifles, hitting Sibanyoni twice in the stomach. He survived only because security officers from Bidvest Protea Coin returned fire, disabling the assassins’ vehicle.
The aftermath of the shooting pulled back the curtain on a deadly underworld. Ballistic analysis linked the weapons used in the Sibanyoni hit to 18 other serious crimes, including the high-profile murder of DJ Sumbody. The man accused of orchestrating the hit is Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala, an alleged rival who the state claims was groomed by Sibanyoni’s former mentor and taxi boss, the late Jothan “King Mswazi” Msibi, to eliminate Sibanyoni in a succession battle.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.