“TOMORROW IS LOST”: MADLANGA COMMISSION POSTPONES JOE “FERRARI” SIBANYONI TESTIMONY
Explosive Commission Showdown Ignites as High-Profile Witness Denies Media Reports Before Legal Team Forces Abrupt Postponement
A dramatic courtroom confrontation erupted during the latest sitting of the commission of inquiry as high-profile witness Mr. Sefako addressed the bench to set the record straight regarding his status.
Addressing the chairperson directly, Mr. Sefako shut down widespread media reports claiming he had resigned from his official position, confirming to the panel that he remains actively in power.
When asked whether published reports about his alleged resignation were entirely incorrect, Mr. Sefako stated: “I don’t know what were they implying because I’m still the president”.
With Mr. Sefako firmly establishing his authority, evidence leader Ms. Skosana confirmed the completion of the preliminary statement reading, opening the floor for legal arguments on how to proceed.
Commission evidence leader Mr. Mtsweni then took the floor, outlining a plan to begin the formal cross-examination and probing of Mr. Sefako the following day.
Mr. Mtsweni argued that the day had been strictly reserved for probing Mr. Sefako, asserting that the proceedings should go forward regardless of scheduling difficulties raised by the legal defense team.
Pushing back against delay tactics, Mr. Mtsweni highlighted that an advocate and an experienced attorney, Mr. Mahlangu, were present in the courtroom and fully capable of safeguarding the legal interests of Mr. Sefako.
However, lead defense counsel Ms. Mokoena immediately interjected, making an urgent oral application to postpone the probing of Mr. Sefako to September 29 or a later date.
Ms. Mokoena revealed that she was completely unavailable to attend the proceedings the following day due to a prior commitment at an arbitration hearing in Sandton.
Detailing a chaotic schedule, Ms. Mokoena explained that she was also required to appear before the Khayelitsha Commission, while Mr. Sefako himself was scheduled to depart for an official church engagement running through September 28.
The chairperson directly questioned Ms. Mokoena on why her junior counsel, Mr. Mnyandu, could not step in to represent Mr. Sefako during the cross-examination, citing past commission precedents where junior advocates took over.
Ms. Mokoena rejected the suggestion, insisting that Mr. Sefako specifically requested her personal presence because crucial legal objections foreshadowed in his written statement would be raised and argued during the probing phase.
“Mr. Sefako feels a heightened sense of urgency to the extent that knowing that tomorrow is the day when certain objections will be will have to be raised and addressed, he would really request that he be given this indulgence”, Ms. Mokoena told the bench.
Countering the defense claims, Mr. Mtsweni pointed to paragraph 132 on page 45 of the written statement of Mr. Sefako, which documented that the legal team had anticipated scheduling conflicts as far back as August 20.
Mr. Mtsweni argued that the defense had failed to submit a formal, substantiated application for postponement, urging the chairperson not to waste valuable commission time.
After weighing the arguments from both legal sides, the chairperson officially granted the indulgence, ruling that the further probing of Mr. Sefako be postponed to a date yet to be determined.
Expressing frustration over the lost day of proceedings, the chairperson turned the panel’s focus toward the upcoming scheduled testimony of another key witness, Mr. Sindane.
Ms. Mokoena confirmed that her legal team, alongside Mr. Abrahams, also represents Mr. Sindane and had received a subpoena for his appearance.
To address the legal team’s overlapping commitments, the chairperson issued a strict binding schedule for a substantive postponement application regarding Mr. Sindane.
The chairperson ordered Ms. Mokoena and her team to file a formal postponement application before midnight, setting a tight deadline for answering and replying affidavits the following day.
“A substantive application for the postponement of the hearing of his testimony must be filed before midnight today 21 September 2026”, the chairperson ruled from the bench.
The chairperson directed that answering affidavits must be filed by midday on September 22, followed by replying affidavits by 6:00 p.m. that same evening, with the formal hearing set for 9:30 a.m. on September 23.
The chairperson explicitly ordered that Mr. Sindane must physically appear before the commission on September 23 in the event that the formal application for postponement is denied.
With the schedule locked in and the probing of Mr. Sefako officially halted, the chairperson adjourned the proceedings, lamenting the immediate loss of a full day of testimony.
Copyright: MDNtv
