By Everson Luhanga
- Prosecutor Mkhuseli Ntaba defied a direct court order to appear at Kwaggafontein Magistrates’ Court on Monday, collapsing the bail application for Joe Sibanyoni and three co-accused.
- The NPA suspended Ntaba and says it will reinstate the case, but only a senior official in Mpumalanga can authorise that in writing under the law.
A prosecutor who defied a direct court order has been suspended, after his no-show collapsed a case against one of Mpumalanga’s most feared businessmen.
Mkhuseli Ntaba failed to appear at Kwaggafontein Magistrates’ Court on Monday for the bail application of taxi boss Madoda Johannes Sibanyoni and three co-accused. The four men face charges of extortion and money laundering.
Ntaba had told the court on Friday that he would not be available on Monday due to other commitments. The magistrate ordered him to appear regardless. He did not.
Defence attorneys for all four accused applied to have the matter struck off the roll. The magistrate agreed and authorised a warrant for Ntaba’s arrest.
Sibanyoni, also known as Joe Ferrari for his fleet of Italian sports cars, is a 60-year-old taxi boss whose business empire spans buses, real estate, construction and mining. His wealth is estimated at more than R300-million. He started as a taxi driver in 1985, bought his first vehicle ten years later, and built one of the largest private empires in Mpumalanga from that base.
He was arrested at his mansion in Centurion alongside Mvimbi Daniel Masilela, 45, and Philemon Msiza, 55. A fourth accused, Bafana Sindane, 51, known as “King of the Sky”, handed himself to police after spending time on the run.
The National Director of Public Prosecutions, Adv Andy Mothibi, said the NPA would pursue the case.
“There is no room for impunity as we remain resolute in our constitutional obligation to hold those accused of criminality accountable,” Mothibi said.
Under the law, the case can only be reinstated by written authorisation from the Director of Public Prosecutions in Mpumalanga. The NPA says it is engaging with the investigating officer to push that process forward.
Pictured above: Taxi boss Joe Sibanyoni and his co-accused in court on Monday.
Image source: @CrimeWatch_RSA/X
