Bafana Sindane seeks urgent court order to block Madlanga Commission phone evidence

Taxi boss Bafana “King of the Sky” Sindane has launched an urgent application in the High Court in Pretoria to stop the Madlanga Commission from using material seized from his phone and to set aside a subpoena compelling him to testify.

What Sindane asked the court to do

Sindane filed the urgent application on Tuesday night, seeking an order that would prevent the commission from accessing his WhatsApp messages while a review of the subpoena and related evidence proceeds.

Background: why the messages are in focus

The WhatsApp exchanges between Sindane and taxi industry figure Joe Sibanyoni were highlighted during Sibanyoni’s appearance on Monday. The messages attracted attention because they reportedly included exchanges that referred to hitmen. Sibanyoni defended the context of those messages during his testimony.

Legal and procedural status

The source states Sindane is an associate of Sibanyoni and is a co-accused with him in an extortion and money-laundering case. The Madlanga Commission has not publicly responded to Sindane’s application. For now, the subpoena remains in force and Sindane is expected to appear before the commission this morning.

What remains unclear from available material

• The commission’s internal deliberations or any response to the application have not been published.
• No further details about the contents of the seized material beyond what was mentioned during Sibanyoni’s testimony are provided in the source.

The matter is ongoing and the court will determine whether the commission may rely on the phone material while the subpoena and related evidence are reviewed.