Ongoing

  1. ElectionsHot
  2. US mid-termsHeating up
  3. AICooling
Newsbrief
JoburgJHB29°69%
CTCT21°90%
PretoriaPTA33°75%
DurbanDBN30°20°

NPA freezes assets worth R99 million linked to taxi boss Sibanyoni

Published Last updated

The National Prosecuting Authority's Asset Forfeiture Unit won a provisional restraint order over houses, luxury vehicles and other assets linked to Mpumalanga taxi boss Joe Sibanyoni and others. Sibanyoni and co-accused face extortion and money laundering charges.

The assets include properties in Centurion and Pretoria, estate properties, bank accounts and investments. The vehicles include Ferraris, a Porsche and BMWs, according to one report.

Four people face charges of extortion and money laundering. They include Oupa Sindane, who is known as Bafana. The case is to resume in April next year.

The allegations say the group demanded payments from a businessman linked to a road project. Sibanyoni says one payment was a local content fee. NPA spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago said the order helps to deprive people of the proceeds and benefits of crime.

Key facts

Who
Joe Sibanyoni (taxi boss, facing extortion and money laundering charges); Oupa Sindane (associate of Sibanyoni, facing extortion and money laundering charges); National Prosecuting Authority (prosecuting body that secured the restraint order through its Asset Forfeiture…); Kaizer Kganyago (NPA spokesperson)
What
A provisional restraint order over assets currently estimated at R99 million, including properties in Centurion and Pretoria and luxury vehicles, has been secured against assets linked to Joe Sibanyoni and others who are alleged to be involved in organised criminal activities, including extortion.
When
29 October 2026
Where
Centurion, Pretoria, Delmas
Status
Reported

Elections Hot

What you need to know

Voting in the 2026 Local Government Elections is under way at 23,696 stations, and the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) reported a smooth start on 4 November. Stations opened at 7am and close at 9pm, and by 10am preliminary figures showed 3,523,691 voters had cast ballots.

There were problems: unused ballot papers were stolen from Mnyameni Secondary School near Durban, police opened a case, and the IEC relieved the station staff of duty. Some voters in Tshwane said they were turned away for wearing party shirts, but the IEC denied this and said only mayoral candidates' entourages were barred.

ANC chairperson Gwede Mantashe told members not to query the results or discredit the IEC, while the IEC said false online claims show routine procedures as fraud.

  1. BOSA's Solomons flags one-ballot problem at Cape Town voting stations
  2. Mashatile urges new councillors to put voters first
  3. IEC dismisses MK Party worry about dead people on voters' roll

See every update

US mid-terms Heating up

What you need to know

Democrats won back both the US House and Senate in the midterm elections held on 3 November, according to media projections. Exit polls showed voters were angry about high prices and the direction of the country, and rebuked President Donald Trump.

Before the vote, US forces struck targets on Qeshm Island in Iran, while Republicans struggled to defend the war against Iran on the campaign trail. Iranian officials said US voters rejected the war, and Tehran stayed on high alert for possible new US strikes.

Markets reacted, with the dollar hitting a one-month low and the rand firming to around R16.55, as analysts pointed to fears of gridlock in Washington.

  1. Iran welcomes Democratic wins in US midterm elections
  2. Democrats win US Congress in midterm vote, projections show
  3. Ramaphosa wants US trade deal after AGOA suspension

See every update

AI Cooling

What you need to know

Nvidia has told its cloud computing clients to sell at least 51% of their services to non-Chinese companies, according to five people with knowledge of the matter. Anthropic said it has committed to spend close to $900bn on AI infrastructure, and that its computing costs are rising faster than its revenues.

Elsewhere, reports from unnamed sources say OpenAI's latest funding round is falling short of expectations, and a judge let the NAACP pollution case against xAI proceed. In South Africa, the VAST AI investment scheme went offline on 30 October after withdrawals marked approved did not arrive, according to a news investigation.

  1. Accenture faces accusations over AI report with false citations
  2. CrowdStrike to buy two AI security startups
  3. Google lets schools turn off AI tools but limits Search

See every update