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 National Prosecuting Authority (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 on Thursday.

Sibanyoni and his co-accused face allegations of extorting more than R2 million in so-called protection fees from a local mining entrepreneur.