Taxi boss Joe “Ferrari” Sibanyoni.

• Mpumalanga police say they have made contact with a fourth wanted suspect linked to taxi boss Joe “Ferrari” Sibanyoni’s alleged extortion case.
• Sibanyoni and two co-accused are expected to appear in the Kwaggafontein Magistrate’s Court on charges linked to alleged extortion demands exceeding R2 million.
• Advocate Shaun Abrahams, who is believed to represent Sibanyoni, criticised the NPA and police for allegedly refusing to communicate with the defence team ahead of the court appearance.

Mpumalanga police say they have made contact with a fourth wanted suspect believed to have worked closely with taxi boss Joe “Ferrari” Sibanyoni in an extortion case exceeding R2 million in Kwaggafontein.

Sibanyoni and two co-accused are expected to appear on extortion-related charges in the Kwaggafontein Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday.

The charges stem from an investigation launched after a businessman reported that he had allegedly been subjected to ongoing extortion demands over an extended period.

There was a heavy police presence at court on Wednesday, with several police vehicles – including a Nyala – stationed outside.

Officers were seen monitoring the area, while one officer stood alongside a police dog.

READ | Taxi boss Joe ‘Ferrari’ Sibanyoni arrested on extortion-related charges

Speaking ahead of the court appearance, Mpumalanga police spokesperson Colonel Mavela Masondo said they hoped that the outstanding suspect would hand himself over after being informed that police were searching for him.

“We are still looking for him. We just hope he will hand himself over, because he knows that we are looking for him,” he added.

“We have made contact with him. We know that he is an accomplice [of Sibanyoni], so they worked together in this case.”

Masondo said that it was alleged that Sibanyoni and his co-accused had demanded more than R2 million from the complainant, although he declined to provide further details while investigations continued.

He described the arrests as a major breakthrough in the fight against extortion in the province.

He added: It was a breakthrough for us, and more especially that now we are targeting, or we are arresting the big shots, because extortion is really a problem in Mpumalanga.

Masondo said the arrests should send a strong warning to other extortionists operating in the province.

Meanwhile, advocate Shaun Abrahams, who is believed to be representing Sibanyoni, criticised the National Prosecuting Authority and police, accusing them of refusing to communicate with the defence team.

“They have ignored our telephone calls, the investigating officer switched off his telephone, and the Director of Public Prosecutions didn’t come back to us,” he said.

“We are not happy with the game they are playing.”

Abrahams described the alleged lack of communication as “unacceptable” from both a professional and collegial perspective.

He added that his client was in “good spirits”.