Iavan Pijoos

The extortion case of taxi boss Joe “Ferrari” Sibanyoni has been struck from the court roll, and a warrant has been issued for the arrest of prosecutor Mkhuseli Ntaba, who was a no-show on Monday.

The complainant in the R2.2 million extortion case against taxi boss Joe “Ferrari” Sibanyoni and three co-accused says he fears for his life after the case was thrown out of court.

The prosecutor who failed to attend the Mpumalanga court for the R2.2 million Joe “Ferrari” Sibanyoni extortion and money laundering case is set to meet with National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) officials on Tuesday.

WhatsApp messages said to be between Joe “Ferrari” Sibanyoni and the complainant in his criminal case – in which the two allegedly addressed each other by nicknames such as “my landlord” and “Mr Growth-Point” – have emerged as a cornerstone of the defence’s argument that the pair shared a close, long-standing relationship and that no extortion ever occurred.

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) on Friday said it was concerned about how the chief magistrate handled the Joe “Ferrari” Sibanyoni extortion case after it was struck from the roll this week.

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has confirmed that the R2.2-million extortion case against Joe “Ferrari” Sibanyoni and his three co-accused will be re-enrolled on Thursday.

Taxi boss Joe “Ferrari” Sibanyoni and co-accused Oupa Johannes “Bafana” Sindane have approached the High Court in Mbombela on an urgent basis to block their arrest.

Taxi boss Joe “Ferrari” Sibanyoni and his co-accused were each granted R70 000 bail in the Delmas Magistrate's Court on Thursday.

An explosion has again rocked a Woolworths store – this time in Bloemfontein. The latest incident comes a day after an explosion was reported at another Woolworths outlet in Pretoria.