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Inside Cat’s taxi wars: assassination plot exposes ‘Big Five cartel’ succession battle

Police probe reveals link between attempted hit on taxi boss and notorious underworld empire

1 min read
Vusimusi 'Cat' Matlala, behind, front from left: Katiso 'KT' Molefe, Jotham 'Mswazi' Msibi and Joe 'Ferrari' Sibayoni are among the main figures in the saga of the Big Five that has emerged from police investigations and Madlanga commission testimony.
Vusimusi 'Cat' Matlala, behind, front from left: Katiso 'KT' Molefe, Jotham 'Mswazi' Msibi and Joe 'Ferrari' Sibayoni are among the main figures in the saga of the Big Five that has emerged from police investigations and Madlanga commission testimony.Picture: Thapelo Morebudi

A police investigation has blown open a violent power struggle in Gauteng’s taxi underworld, revealing that Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala’s alleged attempted assassination of Joe “Ferrari” Sibanyoni was linked to the so-called Big Five cartel — an alleged criminal empire with reach across South Africa.

While the case has yet to be ventilated in court, the Sunday Times can exclusively reveal that Matlala’s alleged August 2022 attempt on Sibanyoni’s life was part of a deadly succession battle inside the cartel.

Last November, a police investigator told the Madlanga commission the cartel is a Gauteng‑based criminal network with deep links to politicians and law enforcement.

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