NPA restrains R99m in assets linked to taxi boss Joe Sibanyoni
A court has provisionally frozen assets worth about R99 million allegedly tied to taxi boss Joe Sibanyoni and four others, as an extortion investigation continues.
Assets worth an estimated R99 million allegedly connected to taxi boss Joe “Ferrari” Sibanyoni have been provisionally frozen by a court, The Citizen reported. The order also covers four other people who are suspected of taking part in organised crime, including extortion.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said its Asset Forfeiture Unit in Mpumalanga applied for the order under the Prevention of Organised Crime Act (POCA). A court in Middelburg granted it on 28 September 2026.
What has been frozen
NPA spokesperson Kaiser Kganyago said the order follows an ongoing police investigation into alleged extortion and related offences. The authority believes the property in question represents proceeds of criminal activity.
According to the NPA, the list includes:
- homes in upmarket golf estates in Centurion;
- other houses in Centurion and Pretoria;
- luxury cars, among them Ferraris, a Porsche, a Lexus, Mercedes-Benz models and BMWs;
- bank accounts and investments.
The court has directed the defendants to hand over the bank accounts and investments to a curator it has appointed.
Kganyago said the order is meant to stop people accused of benefiting from crime from continuing to enjoy those gains while the legal process plays out. He added that the assets were restrained because they are considered realisable property and allegedly represent benefits of criminal conduct.
The criminal case
Sibanyoni and three co-accused have separately appeared in the Delmas Magistrate’s Court on charges of extortion and money laundering. The charges relate to an alleged scheme linked to a road construction project in Mpumalanga.
The State alleges that the accused forced businessman Thomas Tengane Ntuli to hand over more than R2.2 million in “protection fees” between 2022 and 2025.
At the hearing, the prosecution told the court about alleged threats against the investigating team. The defence objected strongly, saying the matter had not been raised with them in advance and that it painted the accused in a bad light. Their advocates, former National Directors of Public Prosecutions Shaun Abrahams and Menzi Simelane, said their clients were not linked to any threats and described the State’s approach as an “ambush”.
The court eased the accused’s bail conditions, so they now report monthly instead of weekly. The case was postponed to 20 April 2027 for further investigation.
What this means
A restraint order is not a conviction. It is provisional and only preserves the property while investigations and court proceedings continue. The allegations have not been tested at trial, and the accused have not been found guilty of anything.
The NPA said extortion damages legitimate businesses, scares off investment and holds back economic growth. For small contractors and business owners, the case is a reminder that extortion can be reported to the police.
This story is based on reporting by The Citizen.
