CATA taxi president arrested ahead of court appearance
CATA president has been arrested.
Image: Ayanda Ndamane / Independent Media
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has confirmed the arrest and charge of Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association (CATA) president, Siviwe Kiva, who is expected to appear in court on Monday.
NPA Western Cape spokesperson, Eric Ntabazalila, said: “CATA president is expected to appear at the Paarl Magistrate's Court (Monday) morning.”
Ntabazalila said the charge has yet to be confirmed.
CATA spokesperson, Nkululeko Sityebi, confirmed the arrest when approached by the Cape Argus but did not elaborate further.
In May, the Western Cape’s two largest taxi associations - Congress of Democratic Taxi Association (CODETA) and CATA met to sign a peace agreement.
The meeting was held at Nyanga Terminus and followed an onslaught of violence late last year which saw several CATA members being shot and killed.
When approached for comment, the South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) told Cape Argus it was not able to respond yet on the matter.
In December 2025, MEC for Mobility, Isaac Sileku, said he welcomed the Western Cape High Court’s decision to make the interim order permanent, which was aimed at curbing violence and intimidation within the taxi industry.
Violence escalated last year between the two taxi associations, which saw bloodshed and a temporary interdict was granted in August 2025.
Meanwhile, Mpumalanga taxi boss Joe “Ferrari” Sibanyoni and co-accused Oupa Johannes “Bafana” Sindane have filed an urgent High Court application in Mbombela to stop police from arresting them.
The pair wants the court to suspend and later cancel J50 warrants of arrest issued against them, claiming the warrants were obtained irregularly and are unconstitutional.
They are also seeking an order preventing police and the NPA from carrying out the arrests while the matter is before the court.
The urgent application comes as pressure mounts following the NPA’s announcement on Wednesday that the case will be re-enrolled at the Delmas Magistrate’s Court.
Sibanyoni and his co-accused face allegations of extorting more than R2 million in so-called protection fees from a local mining entrepreneur.
The latest developments have intensified scrutiny around the high-profile case.