Joe Sibanyoni unhappy about Commission exposing his Whatsapp messages with Sindane.
An Unholy Alliance Exposed as Private Phone Taps Reveal Dirty Deals and Shadowy Security Networks in the Taxi Wars
The high-stakes commission of inquiry plunged into complete chaos when 365 pages of seized private telephone communications were laid bare before the panel.
The confidential digital extraction, harvested directly from an Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max by law enforcement agencies, ignited an unprecedented constitutional battlefield inside the hearing room.
Mr. Spuni launched an explosive defense, demanding the complete suppression of the phone records while mounting a fierce challenge against the state’s evidence bundle.
He argued that the police seized his mobile device under strict authority for a totally separate extortion prosecution in the Delmas magistrate court under case number 298/2026.
The state then surreptitiously funneled those private chat logs directly to the commission without obtaining proper legal authorization or issuing a required section 212 certificate.
Every single message extracted from the device was read into the record while Mr. Spuni invoked his constitutional right against self-incrimination under Section 35.3.J of the Constitution.
State evidence leaders presented a series of sinister messages exchanged between Mr. Spuni and Mr. Bafana Sindani.
One message, sent on June 24, 2025, declared: “dogs are coming out and jogging”.
Another message, dispatched on June 25, 2025, ominously stated: “we are in charge of the streets”.
Mr. Spuni flatly denied any criminal intent, explaining under oath that the term “dogs” was purely a colloquial self-reference to describe their morning running routine and healthy lifestyle pursuits.
A third message, recorded on March 7, 2025, referenced a police shootout involving an individual named Mabonga from Money Talks, which Mr. Spuni insisted was an event he merely observed rather than directed.
The room grew icy when state investigators produced a contact saved in the phone as “killer’s number” from January 16, 2025.
Mr. Spuni corrected the official record, explaining the entry was a singular label referring to a man named Timber.
He testified that he knew Timber long before Timber ever joined the South African Police Service, and that “killer” was simply a childhood nickname from their days growing up together in Guqa Valley.
Tension escalated further over an explicit chat log dated August 11, 2025, where Mr. Spuni asked Mr. Bafana Sindani: “Do you perhaps know where is ingabi?”
The message specifically inquired about two missing figures named Spundom and Bhutta.
Mr. Spuni provided two distinct explanations for the query, revealing that in the violent taxi industry, rank protectors are commonly referred to as “ingabi”.
He maintained he was merely acting in his capacity as a taxi industry leader looking into potential security threats, attempting to verify if Mr. Bafana Sindani possessed any information regarding those two individuals.
The panel pressed for immediate clarity on whether the term referred to formal rank security personnel or ruthless contract hitmen.
Mr. Spuni explained that he received the names via an anonymous phone inquiry or WhatsApp message and was simply passing them along to his closest associate to verify their identity.
The evidence then shifted to financial ledger entries revealing massive monthly payments of 100,000 rand made to Mr. Bafana Sindani.
Mr. Spuni stood firm on his right to remain silent regarding the precise financial transactions, but insisted the funds were distributed exclusively for peacekeeping and conflict resolution within the volatile taxi sector.
State records also exposed a text message sent on May 3, 2025, indicating Mr. Bafana Sindani was meeting with a person identified as Bhutho.
Mr. Spuni pointed out that the meeting occurred months after the real officer Bhutho retired from the police service on January 31, 2025, proving the person mentioned was actually Mr. Mthembu.
The investigation took a dramatic turn into state-sponsored security apparatuses when investigators unpacked bundle CJC 488, detailing communications between an account named “Show Ferrari” and a contact saved as “zero tolerance in crime”.
The contact belonged directly to Sergeant Gcosi, a serving police officer.
Mr. Spuni acknowledged owning several luxury sports cars, which earned him the street moniker “Josei Ferrari”, while other associates addressed him directly as “Mr. President”.
He admitted to hosting Sergeant Gcosi at his personal residence on ten to twelve separate occasions for informal social visits.
The phone records proved that Sergeant Gcosi actively brokered high-level access between Mr. Spuni and General Mwanazi, the acting National Commissioner of the South African Police Service.
The contact was leveraged to secure National Intervention Unit armed escorts during sensitive peace negotiation meetings with Mr. Mqansa Gcaba.
Mr. Spuni defended his use of estate access codes granted to Sergeant Gcosi, explaining the officer brought crucial intelligence directly to his private guest house office at the St. Gate estate.
He dismissed an excited text message sent on December 5, 2024, reading “laduma”, as nothing more than a casual football exclamation meaning “he scores”.
He similarly dismissed a December 6, 2025 message regarding the Special Task Force as an unprompted social update that he never acted upon.
The proceedings exposed a deadly war within the public transportation sector involving Putco bus operations and competitor routes.
Mr. Spuni addressed horrific photographic and video evidence showing public buses set ablaze, reminding the panel of a dark trail of unsolved murders connected to transit labor strikes.
He dropped the names of prominent figures who died after organizing strikes against Putco, including Ms. Caesar and Dr. Mkhize.
He recounted a horrific event where passengers were burned alive inside a Putco bus without any state compensation or police accountability.
Mr. Spuni testified that he personally confronted Franco Pisapia, the owner of Putco, demanding an immediate end to the bloodshed and insisting that black lives must be protected.
The hearing reached a critical juncture when state prosecutors confronted Mr. Spuni regarding his corporate ties to Edwin Construction and Tshamphani Mining, alongside his private messages with Mr. Thomas Nduli.
Mr. Spuni revealed he was unlawfully arrested on May 11, 2026, on extortion charges alongside his co-accused, Mr. Mbedzi, Mr. Bafana Sindani, and Mr. Mashele.
He walked out of jail after posting 70,000 rand bail while the criminal trial remained active.
Because the state charged all four men under the legal doctrine of common purpose, Mr. Spuni asserted that compelling him to answer questions before a administrative commission directly violated the fair trial rights of his co-accused, Mr. Caesar, Mr. Bafana Sindani, and Mr. Mashele.
His legal team formally demanded that the commission cease its unauthorized reliance on the illegally transferred phone records.
They warned that an urgent high court application would be launched immediately to protect his constitutional rights.
Copyright: Daily Updates ZA
