Taxi Boss Bafana Sindane’s Bid to Block Madlanga Commission Struck Off the Roll
The Gauteng High Court in Pretoria has struck an urgent application by Mpumalanga taxi boss Oupa “Bafana” Sindane off the court roll on Tuesday, after both he and his legal representatives failed to appear in court.
The legal bid sought to interdict the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry from enforcing a subpoena that compels him to testify.
However, the court could not proceed as the judge was informed that no court papers had been filed by Sindane’s legal team.
This marks another failed attempt by Sindane, popularly known as the “King of the Sky,” to dodge the inquiry.
It follows a separate high court application at the end of September 2026, where he attempted to block his scheduled testimony and suppress the commission’s use of WhatsApp messages retrieved from his seized electronic devices.
That previous application was struck off the roll due to a lack of urgency, resulting in a punitive costs order.
Sindane’s legal team previously argued for postponements before the commission itself, citing a medical certificate for uncontrollable hypertension and claiming Sindane was in “spiritual seclusion” undergoing the process of ukuthwasa to become a sangoma.
The commission, led by retired Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga, dismissed those applications.
The commission is investigating a web of criminal allegations surrounding Sindane and his close associate, taxi tycoon Joe “Ferrari” Sibanyoni.
Both are currently co-accused in a pending criminal case involving more than R2 million in extortion and money-laundering linked to the Moloto Road project.
The critical WhatsApp evidence Sindane has desperately tried to block allegedly reveals communications regarding: improper relationships with police officials, connections to a “Big Five” taxi cartel involved in tender manipulation and drug trafficking and the hiring of a controversial attorney to represent convicted taxi hitmen, whom they subsequently failed to pay.
With this latest high court application struck off the roll due to the absence of both counsel and proper filings, the legal avenues delaying Sindane’s appearance continue to narrow, paving the way for the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry to hear his evidence.
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