Calvin Mathibeli VS Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi: Security boss claims KZN police targeted his family

KwaZulu-Natal police Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi has threatened legal action against a Durban businessman who claimed the police chief tried to have him killed and is captured by the businessman's competitors. 

However, Calvin Mojalefa Mandlakapheli Mathibeli of Calvin & Family Security Services has since gone public with 'receipts' seemingly backing up some of his allegations against Mkhwanazi. 

The spat comes amid a raid at Mathibeli's business premises and some startling revelations coming out of the Madlanga Commission. 

Mathibeli took to social media, claiming that he was aware of plans orchestrated against him.

"The modus always used to satisfy handlers, the attempts to intimidate me and damage to my name ahead of my appearance before the Madlanga Commission," he said.

He further claimed that police in KZN had become a network used by some for personal gain rather than public service.

Supposedly referring to Mkhwanazi as "just a police official who is an ice-boy for taxi and security company owners", Mathibeli alleged that he didn't survive on protection fees from criminals, government officials and politicians.

Calling Mathibeli's allegations "malicious, baseless, unfounded and somewhat threatening", Mkhwanazi said he is seeking legal recourse.

About the raid, KZN police said it was a head office operation, and police in the province had nothing to do with it. 

"Mr Mathibeli seems to have an obsession with police in KZN and particularly, the Provincial Commissioner," said KZN police spokesperson, Colonel Robert Netshiunda.

"Now that Mr Mathibeli has introduced himself to the police in KZN, his utterances were simply an invitation to police to start looking into his business dealings.Police have learnt that he is a beneficiary of a tender with the Department of Health in Gauteng. KZN police will give him the attention he is seeking and get the ball of investigations rolling," he said.

Netshiunda added that local police did not know about Mathibeli's business dealings.

"We would like to thank him for the voluntary invitation to his business operations," he said.

Netshiunda said provincial police were working to regain the community's trust and that no malicious attack on police will go unchallenged. 

"Nobody is above the law, and any wrongdoings by police must be reported to the relevant authorities, not a miscalculated smear campaign of disseminating fabricated untruths," he said. 

Meanwhile, Mathibeli hit back at Mkhwanazi's legal threat, claiming that in December last year, he was informed that police were instructed to kill him.

He went on to allege that the men verbally accosted his sister, who told them he no longer lived there.

Mathibeli claimed that police then went to his office and verbally abused his wife.

"During this time, they stated that they had been monitoring my phones and referenced specific information about my movements, including that I had been at the airport on a particular date, which was accurate. They told my wife they were coming to arrest me and were instructed by the Hawks," Mathibeli said.

Speaking on the recent raid, he said he has not been told where the firearms taken from his company are being kept and that one of his employees was detained for 24 hours and later released without being charged. Another employee was charged with being in possession of unlicensed firearms, but according to Mathibeli, the weapons are all licensed and were secured in a safe.

While Mkhwanazi mulls over legal recourse, Mathibeli maintains that he will stand his ground. 

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