WATCH | Ferrari ambush: guard tells court he fired 15 shots in Sibanyoni shooting

The Johannesburg high court was on Tuesday taken back to the chaotic day that taxi boss Joe “Ferrari” Sibanyoni drove into Centurion Golf Estate in his red Ferrari, only to be ambushed a few moments later by gunmen with AK-47s travelling in a white BMW sedan.

As Bidvest Protea Security officer Bethuel Cele stood in the dock, he detailed his testimony on how an ordinary shift quickly descended into a barrage of gunfire that left him returning fire with all 15 rounds from his 9mm service pistol.

Cele, who had nearly two decades of experience as a security officer at the time, told the court he was stationed at the estate when Sibanyoni arrived on the night of August 10 2022.

According to his evidence, the attack unfolded almost immediately after Sibanyoni entered the estate just after 10pm.

He said a red Ferrari entered the estate, followed by a VW Golf 7. A man, understood to be Sibanyoni, got out of the Ferrari. Cele said the BMW was moving slowly, as though its occupants were looking for something.

“The left-side window was slightly lowered. The BMW drove past, made a U-turn at the traffic lights and returned. The BMW then stopped near the Ferrari and Golf 7 before two armed men jumped out carrying AK-47 rifles,” he said.

“As soon as they got out, they realised I had seen them. The first shot was fired at me.”

Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala , his wife Tsakane Matlala, Musa Kekana, Tiego Floyd Mabusela and Nthabiseng Nzama are facing 25 charges that include the attempted murder of actor Tebogo Thobejane and Sibanyoni.

Cele said he and his colleague Francis Mazibuko immediately ran for cover behind a tree six metres away.

While hiding, Mazibuko reminded him that he was armed and that they could not simply wait to be killed.

Cele said he initially fired about five shots and heard one of the gunmen react, leading him to believe he had hit him.

“I saw that he had been shot in the stomach. I could see his intestines protruding before he climbed back into the BMW through the window.”

He said the second gunman continued firing towards the occupants of the Ferrari and the VW Golf.

“One of them shouted, ‘Die, you dog,’ before opening fire again. I was lying on my stomach while firing my weapon.”

Cele said that during the shooting incident, some of the occupants of the Ferrari and Golf managed to flee into the estate.

The BMW eventually sped away, leaving behind a scene of chaos.

During cross-examination, Kekana’s lawyer Riaan Gissingsuggested to Cele that if he had fired 15 shots, there should have been 15 spent cartridges and corresponding bullets recovered from the scene.

Cele agreed and said police officers later arrived with evidence bags and collected the spent cartridges while processing the crime scene.

“I gave the firearm back to my manager, and it was locked in the safe. The police then collected it for ballistic testing,” Cele testified.

Gissing also challenged Cele’s recollection of events by referring him to an earlier police statement.

In the statement, Cele recorded that only two suspects exited the BMW during the shooting.

“I saw three suspects that were in the BMW, and only two came out of the vehicle during the shooting,” Gissing read aloud.

Cele insisted there was no contradiction.

“The two got out first and started shooting. After the vehicle came to a standstill, the third person also got out and started shooting,” he said.

As cross-examination continued, tensions spilt beyond the evidence itself.

Zama’s lawyer, Adv Timothy Chauke, accused Cele of being disrespectful in the way he answered questions, arguing that his responses and manner of speaking were inappropriate during cross-examination. This was in reference to the bullets that were collected at the scene of the crime. Chauke wanted to know if the police had also collected Cele’s bullets, to which he said he did not know as it was none of his business.

Chauke, however, took exception to that.

“I wouldn’t say that the phrase is derogatory, but I would say it is disrespectful, especially in the context in which it is said. And I would feel that, much as this witness wants to be respected, he owes respect to us,” he said.

Cele rejected the criticism, maintaining that he was simply speaking naturally in isiZulu.

“I said at the outset that I wanted to testify in Zulu. Now, when I’m testifying in Zulu, people get lost,” Cele said.

The matter has been postponed to Wednesday.

Sowetan