Presenting his statement to the commission recently, Sibanyoni declared that he partnered with industry counterpart Jothan Msibi for taxi business ventures.
Sibanyoni denied allegations of dealing in Msibi’s alleged Gauteng cartel, which he referred to as “the farm”.
Msibi died in 2024.
Sibanyoni said, “I have succeeded as the leader of the taxi industry, which must be distinguished from leading the farm and wielding the power that flows from it.”
But Sibanyoni’s messages to Sindane in January 2025 reveal alleged extortion payments.
Chaskalson said, “He used to report at the farm for all his Soshanguve projects, but he now knows there’s a new sheriff in town. So, what we infer from this is that there is a contractor who used to pay protection monies to Mr Msibi, but he’s now heard that there’s a new sheriff in town, and he now approaches Mr Sibanyoni.”
Meanwhile, Sibanyoni is opposing the use of his WhatsApp messages as evidence.
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Karinda Jagmohan
www.ewn.co.za
