Madlanga Commission rejects Sindane’s request to postpone testimony — Daily Maverick

In Pretoria, South Africa, the Madlanga Commission rejected taxi entrepreneur Oupa Josiah Sindane, known as Bafana, in his request to postpone his testimony. It ruled that his evidence must be heard on Monday, 28 September, in a format to be determined by the commission, Daily Maverick reports.

Sindane was summoned on 8 September to appear before the commission on 23 September. The day before, his lawyers submitted a medical certificate citing severe hypertension, sinusitis and influenza. Advocate Thabani Masuku also said that his client was in a period of spiritual retreat and did not want to disclose private details of this process.

WhatsApp messages

Sindane’s defence objected to the commission’s use of WhatsApp messages extracted from his phone. The lawyers said these materials could potentially be used against their client in a pending criminal case. At the same time, the commission indicated that correspondence linked to Sindane could be admitted as evidence and considered even in his physical absence.

These messages are important for examining Sindane’s links with another taxi entrepreneur, Joe Sibanyoni, known as Ferrari. Sibanyoni answered questions about correspondence mentioning the term izinkabi, which the publication explains as contract killers, as well as the phrases “the dog is dead” and “we are in charge of the streets.”

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Court case

Sindane filed an urgent application with the High Court in Pretoria, seeking to bar the execution of the summons and the use of data from a phone seized during an investigation into allegations of extortion and money laundering. The hearing in this case is scheduled for 6 October 2026.

Sindane, Sibanyoni, Mwimbi Daniel Masilela and Philemon Msiza are accused in a case in Delmas. The state alleges that between 2022 and 2025 they extorted more than 2.2 million rand as protection money from a mining entrepreneur. These charges remain before the court.

Commission representative Matthew Chaskalson argued against the postponement. According to him, the commission must complete the collection of evidence by the end of November or the beginning of December in order to submit its final report by 25 January 2027.