Adv Chaskalson Grills Sibanyoni on his relationship with attorney Ngoato and payments.

A high-stakes judicial interrogation exposed a tangled network of clandestine funding, prison appeals, and secret meetings connecting high-ranking figures to convicted taxi violence hitmen.

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A tense line of questioning erupted over the official financial backing provided to Guabo, a convicted killer sentenced to life imprisonment for the brutal murder of a taxi marshal at a rank.

Under intense cross-examination, the witness admitted to facilitating legal fee assistance for Guabo by coordinating directly with a taxi association operating between Pretoria and Welkom, identified as Jula.

The witness insisted that the intervention was initiated only after the mother of Guabo personally reached out for help, framing the financial support as an act of assistance to the grieving family rather than a direct endorsement of the killer.

Evidence submitted to the proceeding revealed that Bafana Sindani was tasked with organizing critical executive meetings with the taxi association to ensure the legal fees were processed.

The court pressed the witness on why Bafana Sindani was assigned to arrange association meetings despite not holding membership in the organization.

The witness maintained that Bafana Sindani was merely assisting him with administrative logistics and coordinating schedules.

A series of forwarded messages sent to Bafana Sindani detailed breaking updates on the conviction and life sentence of Guabo, which the witness claimed were shared purely for informational purposes.

The inquiry deepened into a secret meeting held in December 2024 involving defense attorney Mr. Nkwato, taxi association executive Mr. Mimuna, and key orchestrators.

A crucial letter written by Mr. Nkwato to the witness surfaced in the record, revealing a pre-existing arrangement to divert legal defense funds.

The letter explicitly stated that money previously paid for Morwa, another driver convicted of taxi-related murders whose full name is Makani, was agreed to be redirected to cover the legal costs for Guabo.

When challenged on whether he authorized shifting funds from Morwa to Guabo, the witness denied giving direct instructions, claiming he merely requested general financial support for Guabo based on past relationships and left the specific accounting to the association.

The witness acknowledged his close relationship with Mr. Nkwato, acknowledging that the attorney addressed him informally as “my brewer” and that the two socialized together, though he denied that Mr. Nkwato had performed direct legal work for him personally.

The witness admitted that he had previously referred multiple association legal disputes to Mr. Nkwato.

The court presented a damning message dated May 2, 2025, where Mr. Nkwato warned that he was halting all work on the case of Guabo due to non-payment, directly addressing the witness with the words: “I can’t do work you had originally allocated to me. I’ve always done your work to my best, but I can’t without payment.”

To address the growing dispute over unpaid legal bills, a subsequent meeting was convened involving the witness, Bafana Sindani, and Mr. Mimuna.

During this session, a compromised settlement of 250,000 rand was negotiated with Mr. Nkwato to cover the outstanding legal fees for Guabo.

Despite the compromise, text records from May 19, 2025, showed Mr. Nkwato pleading with Bafana Sindani for the immediate payout of the 250,000 rand, noting that he had granted a massive discount on the promise of immediate payment but had received nothing.

Tension escalated when records revealed Mr. Nkwato continually accounting to Bafana Sindani regarding court setdowns, requisitions, and reserved judgments for the separate murder case of Morwa.

On May 25, Mr. Nkwato alerted Bafana Sindani that non-payment had prevented him from appearing in court alongside his advocate, forcing the court to proceed with arguments in the Morwa matter.

In that same communication, Mr. Nkwato declared that the unpaid bills completely halted the appeal process for Guabo, leaving the family outraged and demanding answers.

The witness attempted to distance himself from the ongoing appellate work, claiming his financial commitment ended once Guabo was sentenced to life imprisonment in January 2025 and that the association could not afford an appeal.

The cross-examiner confronted the witness with the timeline, proving that Mr. Nkwato was actively demanding payment for ongoing work months after the January sentencing, meaning the funds were explicitly intended to pursue the appeal for Guabo.

Further evidence revealed that on September 29, the witness forwarded a final demand letter to Bafana Sindani from law firm Chris Koutcher Inc. threatening to report Mr. Nkwato to the Legal Practice Council over unpaid correspondent fees in the Mpumalanga High Court linked to outsourced legal work for Guabo.

Adv Chaskalson Grills Sibanyoni on his relationship with attorney Ngoato and payments.

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