Mpumalanga taxi boss Joe “Ferrari” Sibanyoni, together with his co-accused Bafana Sindane, has approached the courts on an urgent basis in an attempt to prevent their arrest in an ongoing extortion and money-laundering case.The applicants, along with co-accused Mvimbi Masilela and Philemon Msiza, were arrested earlier this month and formally charged.However, the case was previously struck off the court roll after the prosecutor failed to appear during the bail proceedings.

Following that procedural setback, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) announced that the matter would be re-enrolled at the Delmas magistrate’s court.

In response, Sibanyoni and Sindane lodged an urgent application seeking to interdict police from executing J50 warrants of arrest issued in relation to the case.

They argue that their arrest would result in irreparable harm, including unlawful deprivation of liberty, emotional distress linked to arrest procedures, and further reputational damage.

They also claim that such harm cannot be adequately remedied through financial compensation and that no suitable alternative legal remedy exists given the urgency of the situation.A key point in their legal argument is jurisdiction.The applicants contend that the alleged offences fall under the Kwaggafontein magistrate’s court jurisdiction and not that of Delmas.They argue that the Delmas magistrate therefore lacked the authority to issue the warrants of arrest, rendering the process legally flawed.According to available reports, the matter is expected to be heard at the Mbombela High Court.The case remains ongoing and is part of broader legal scrutiny surrounding procedural issues in the initial handling of the extortion charges.

The NPA has maintained its intention to proceed with the prosecution by re-enrolling the matter, while the defence focuses on halting arrests and challenging the legality of the court processes that led to the warrants being issued.