Taxi associations use “bucket money” to pay hitmen: Sibanyoni

Joe "Ferrari" Sibanyoni, a taxi boss, has revealed that taxi associations sometimes utilize funds known as "bucket money" to pay hitmen for assassinations. This testimony is taking place at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry in Pretoria. Sibanyoni explains that the concept of "bucket money" was highlighted in the findings of the Shongwe Commission, which was examining taxi violence in Gauteng.

According to Sibanyoni, taxi operators either contribute a fixed amount in "bucket money" or engage in other arrangements. He further states that sometimes, instead of cash, payment can be in the form of being permitted to operate on certain routes, a practice that often leads to additional violence. This hiring process can occur either by individual operators acting independently or by groups.

Sibanyoni also notes that some of the money used to pay "Inkabi," or hitmen, originates from the pocket money system. Moreover, security companies from KwaZulu-Natal have been employed by these associations to create a perception of fear among taxi drivers and openly display high-caliber firearms without proper authorization.