Businessman Thomas Ntuli has denied claims by Mpumalanga taxi boss Joe “Ferrari” Sibanyoni that he borrowed R900,000 from him.Sibanyoni made the allegation in a bail application linked to an extortion and money laundering case involving himself and three co-accused.According to Sibanyoni, Ntuli repaid the money between 2022 and 2025 and the two men were business associates.Ntuli strongly rejected these claims, saying they were false and malicious.He insisted that he and Sibanyoni were never friends and had no business relationship.Ntuli explained that his visits to Sibanyoni’s home were not social calls but related to alleged demands for protection fee payments.He claimed he was summoned to explain missed payments linked to extortion demands.Authorities allege Sibanyoni and his co-accused extorted more than R2.2 million from Ntuli.Ntuli also addressed social media rumours claiming a member of parliament offered him incentives to withdraw the case.He denied receiving any calls or promises of rewards from politicians and said the allegations were fabricated.Ntuli stated that he remains committed to pursuing justice through the legal system and has not been pressured to withdraw the complaint.

The court proceedings faced disruption earlier this week when prosecutor advocate Mkhuseli Ntaba failed to appear in court for the continuation of the bail hearing.

The magistrate struck the matter from the court roll, found Ntaba in contempt of court, and indicated that a warrant for his arrest would be authorised.However, the National Prosecuting Authority has appealed the ruling, temporarily suspending the warrant.Ntaba reportedly cited security threats and an alleged plot against his life as reasons for not attending court.