Taxi Boss Bafana Sindane Goes To Court To Block WhatsApp Evidence At Madlanga Commission
Oupa Bafana “King of the Sky” Sindane has turned to the Pretoria High Court in an urgent bid to stop the Madlanga Commission from using WhatsApp messages retrieved from his cellphone and to challenge the subpoena compelling him to testify.
Mpumalanga taxi boss Oupa Bafana “King of the Sky” Sindane has launched an urgent High Court application seeking to prevent the Madlanga Commission from using WhatsApp messages retrieved from his cellphone.
Sindane is challenging the Commission’s access to the messages as well as the subpoena compelling him to testify.
The High Court application is set down for 6 October 2026. In the meantime, the subpoena remains in force.
The Commission has maintained that the cellphone material was obtained lawfully.
Sindane’s legal challenge comes as the Commission prepares to proceed with evidence concerning him after rejecting his attempt to postpone his appearance.
Commission Orders Evidence To Proceed
Sindane had been scheduled to testify on Wednesday, 23 September, but did not appear.
His legal team produced a medical certificate and sought a postponement.
Advocate Thabani Masuku also told the Commission that Sindane was undergoing a period of spiritual seclusion, which he described as private and culturally significant.
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Masuku argued that proceeding in Sindane’s absence could prejudice his client, particularly if private communications were presented without Sindane being available to explain their context.
The Commission subsequently dismissed the postponement application.
It ordered that evidence “of or concerning” Sindane be heard on Monday, 28 September, “in whatever format”, effectively allowing proceedings concerning him to continue.
His medical certificate had indicated that he would be fit to return to work on 28 September.
The Commission's ruling on the postponement does not determine Sindane’s separate High Court challenge over the subpoena and cellphone evidence.
WhatsApp Messages Under Scrutiny
The disputed WhatsApp messages include exchanges between Sindane and fellow Mpumalanga taxi boss Madoda “Joe Ferrari” Sibanyoni.
Some of the communications were raised during Sibanyoni’s testimony before the Commission, including exchanges concerning izinkabi.
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Sibanyoni disputed the interpretation placed on the term, telling the Commission that in the taxi industry it referred to men who protect taxi bosses and taxi ranks rather than contract killers. He denied supporting or commissioning taxi violence.
Sindane is now asking the High Court to intervene over the Commission’s use of material taken from his cellphone.
The merits of his challenge have not yet been determined.
Sindane And Sibanyoni Co-Accused In Separate Case
Sindane is a close associate of Sibanyoni and the two are also co-accused in a separate criminal case.
They and two other accused face allegations relating to protection payments allegedly demanded from a mining businessman in Mpumalanga between 2022 and 2025.
The alleged payments total more than R2 million, while Sindane also faces a money-laundering charge linked to the alleged proceeds.
The criminal charges are separate from proceedings before the Madlanga Commission.
Sindane and his co-accused deny the charges, which have not been proven in court.
The immediate legal battle will now centre on whether the Commission may rely on the disputed cellphone material and whether Sindane’s challenge affects the subpoena requiring him to give evidence.
