Durban businessman Calvin Mathibeli has backed down in his public war with KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) provincial police commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, after being forced by a court to remove a series of defamatory posts from social media.
Mathibeli has been in a bitter stand-off with Mkhwanazi, repeatedly accusing the provincial police boss of corruption and involvement in criminal activity. Those accusations have now landed him in legal trouble – and he has had to comply.
On Tuesday, Mathibeli was dealt a major legal blow when his application for leave to appeal a judgment handed down on 27 February failed. That earlier judgment had given him 24 hours to take down all defamatory posts about Mkhwanazi from Facebook, other social media platforms and any websites where they had been published.
The court order was clear: Mathibeli had to remove the offending statements he had made about Mkhwanazi on Facebook and across other online platforms. He was also barred from making further such posts about the KZN top cop.
In a letter issued on Wednesday, seen as confirmation that the businessman had accepted the ruling, Mathibeli’s lawyers told Mkhwanazi’s legal team that he had done what the court required.
“Our client has complied with the said order as far as within his control by deleting all messages and comments on your client from his Facebook account where it was previously posted.
“Unfortunately, our client is not in control of the TV broadcast and can unfortunately therefore not retract same unless invited for another interview by the broadcaster,” correspondence between the parties stated.
Mathibeli’s legal team further gave an undertaking that he would not publish more content about Mkhwanazi on social media in future, in line with the court’s instructions.
Mathibeli lawyers also said that he will refrain from making any further posts about Mkhwanazi on social media as per the court order.
“We trust that our client had now complied with the said court order as far as he is possible.”
The court battle marks a sharp turning point in a long-running public row. Mathibeli has, on numerous occasions, taken to social media and public platforms to attack Mkhwanazi, accusing him of corruption and suggesting he was involved in criminal activities. The court has now found that those statements were defamatory and must be removed.
But while one front of the conflict has quietened down online, another, far more serious issue involving Mathibeli is playing out in the courts and on the ground – this time involving firearms, alleged tender fraud and a major police operation.
At the same time as he was forced to delete his posts, Mathibeli’s company, Calvin and Family Security Services, has launched an urgent application in the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria. The company is asking the court to order the return of 138 firearms seized by the police last month.
The weapons were taken as part of an ongoing investigation linked to alleged tender fraud. Investigators are probing whether the company and its activities complied with the law, especially in relation to security contracts and firearm control.
Calvin and Family Security Services first came under the spotlight at the Madlanga Commission in November 2025. There, former Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) deputy chief Revo Spies gave damaging testimony that raised serious questions about the company’s conduct.
Spies alleged that the company’s vehicles, like those of alleged criminal kingpin Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala’s CAT VIP Security Services, had been unlawfully fitted with blue lights. Such fittings are usually reserved for emergency and law enforcement vehicles, and their improper use has long been a concern linked to impersonation of police and abuse of authority on the roads.
Those claims helped push Calvin and Family Security Services into the national spotlight and appear to have fed into the broader investigations that led to the recent firearm seizures.
The pressure did not end there. Earlier this week, police intensified their operations with a dramatic raid on Tuesday at the Mkhambathini Municipality in KZN. Officers swooped on municipal premises looking for illegal firearms and ammunition believed to be used by municipal bodyguards linked to Mathibeli.
According to The Citizen’s regional publication, The Witness, the raid formed part of Operation Buyisa, a nationwide police crackdown targeting illegal firearms and non-compliant private security companies. The operation is aimed at cleaning up irregularities in the private security sector and cutting off the flow of illegal firearms that may end up in criminal hands.
KZN police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshuinda confirmed the operation but declined to give further details, citing the sensitivity of the investigation and its ongoing nature.
With investigations continuing, police have not ruled out further arrests or additional firearm seizures. This means that Mathibeli and those linked to him could face more legal and operational action in the coming weeks, depending on what detectives uncover.
For now, Mathibeli has been forced to retreat on at least one front. His attempt to overturn the February judgment failed, and he has had to comply with the order to remove his defamatory posts about Mkhwanazi and to keep quiet about the commissioner on social media.
At the same time, his company is fighting in court for the return of 138 seized firearms, while police continue to probe alleged tender fraud, the possible unlawful fitting of blue lights, and the use of weapons connected to private security and municipal bodyguards.
The clash between the outspoken Durban businessman and KZN’s top cop has therefore shifted from Facebook timelines to courtrooms and high-level police operations. As Operation Buyisa rolls on, and the urgent application over the firearms is argued in Pretoria, both the legal and law enforcement spotlight on Mathibeli and his security business is set to intensify.
