Mpumalanga Taxi Boss Bafana Sindane Faces R17 Million SARS Demand — 16 Years of Non-Compliance

Bafana Sindane, a major player in the Mpumalanga taxi sector, received more than just paperwork in Monday’s registered mail. It contained an official demand from the South African Revenue Service for R17 million in unpaid taxes, which is linked to around sixteen years of alleged non-compliance.

Sindane, who goes by the moniker “King of the Sky” and is officially identified as Oupa Jossiah Sindane, is said to have gotten the letter the same week he appeared in Delmas Magistrate’s Court for a different criminal case. According to a reliable source who informed the Sowetan on Thursday, auditors are currently going over the financial documents to meet the demand.

When the presiding magistrate enquired about unresolved issues in Sindane’s extortion and money-laundering case on Tuesday, the tax problem suddenly came up during court proceedings. Attorney Menzi Simelane aggressively retaliated when the prosecutor brought up the SARS probe, telling the court that the revenue problem had nothing to do with the criminal allegations and had only been brought up to “scandalise” his client.

Philemon Msiza, Mvimbi Daniel Masilela, Joe “Ferrari” Sibanyoni, and Sindane all share the dock. Together, they are accused of extorting Dr. Tengane Thomas Ntuli, a businessman whose commercial portfolio includes contracts related to the Moloto Road upgrade corridor across Mpumalanga, for more than R2 million. While the investigation is ongoing, all four have rejected the allegations and been released on bond.

Investigators in the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry were able to get WhatsApp conversations from Sindane’s cell phone, which provided a clear picture of alleged connections with active law enforcement personnel and agreements for police escorts. The cab boss, dressed in a charcoal jacket with his arms folded across his chest, observed from the gallery while commissioners meticulously examined the threads, line by line.

A close associate in Sindane’s circle may have received an independent tax notice valued at about R9 million, according to a different eNCA story, indicating that revenue authorities may have targeted the syndicate more broadly. None of the accused have been found guilty, and the criminal accusations are still unsubstantiated. Mpumalanga’s transport corridors are plagued by a straightforward issue tonight: what will auditors discover when they finally open those sixteen years’ worth of records?

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