The Late Taxi Tycoon Jothan โKing Mswaziโ Msibiโs Farm Was Taxi Industryโs โOperational and Political Command Centreโ, Madlanga Commission Hears
The late taxi tycoon Jothan โKing Mswaziโ Msibiโs farm operated as far more than a residential property, functioning instead as a highly organized operational and political command centre where underworld decisions and taxi industry activities were systematically coordinated.
This explosive claim was made at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry on Friday by prominent Mpumalanga businessman and taxi owner Joe "Ferrari" Sibanyoni.
Testifying about the deeply entrenched networks and power structures driving taxi violence, Sibanyoni further asserted that Msibi wielded immense behind-the-scenes influence, describing him as the โreal presidentโ during the presidential administrations of both Jacob Zuma and Cyril Ramaphosa.
Sibanyoni, a staunch believer in Jesus Christ who noted that he has survived two separate assassination attempts in 2006 and 2022, detailed a lucrative, illicit financial network operating within taxi associations.
Narrating the historical findings of the Shongwe Commissionโwhich established that roughly 100,000 legal and illegal taxis populate South African roadsโSibanyoni exposed the existence of unmonitored "bucket money".
According to Sibanyoni, this unaccounted-for cash pool is directly managed by associations to fund territorial route disputes.
He testified that the "bucket money" is primarily used to hire "Izinkabi" (hitmen) from KwaZulu-Natal to eliminate competition.
Despite association leadership outwardly preaching regional peace since 2020, Sibanyoni indicated that the violent undercurrents remained heavily coordinated.
The Commission heard how Sibanyoni attempted to sound the alarm on the cartel's operations years prior.
In 2022, he dispatched a WhatsApp message to then-Police Minister Bheki Cele, pleading for an intervention.
The text explicitly detailed how Msibiโs Hammanskraal farm hosted a criminal syndicate that enjoyed backing from top-ranking police officers, which in turn derailed municipal service delivery across Tshwane.
Cele allegedly ignored the desperate plea.
Sibanyoni subsequently escalated the matter to then-Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga, who was willing to listen and provide assistance.
However, retaliation was swift; three months after reporting the syndicate's activities, Sibanyoni survived a high-caliber ambush where gunmen shot up his vehicle.
The economic stranglehold of the cartel also severely impacted Sibanyoni's business.
During the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath, the Msibi cartel barred his fleet from operating between 2020 and 2024.
Upon his attempted return to the routes, only four of his 20 taxis were permitted to operate, forcing him to secure a High Court order to fully reinstate his fleet.
Paradoxically, Sibanyoni remarked that the lockdowns provided a safety buffer, allowing him to stay far away from Msibi's Hammanskraal estate out of fear for his life.
By 2022, the farm's alleged criminal footprint grew to include other notorious underworld figures.
Sibanyoni testified that he discovered Katiso Molefe was running a drug distribution network directly from the property, while Vusimuzi โCatโ Matlalaโs outfit provided specialized security.
This convergence of figures, Sibanyoni noted, finally clarified why he had been targeted for assassination by Matlala.Sibanyoni concluded his testimony by lauding KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner, Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.
He praised Mkhwanazi as a rare, attentive official who met with him twice following Msibiโs death in 2024, attributing the recent decline in regional taxi hits to Mkhwanaziโs decisive policing strategy.
The Madlanga Commission continues to probe the systemic corruption and violence anchoring the multi-billion-rand transport sector.
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