KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi tasted another court victory on Monday businessman Calvin Mathibeli who was forced to withdraw defamatory statements against him. The Durban High Court also ordered Mathibeli to pay punitive costs. On Tuesday, the police raided offices of Mkhambathini Local Municipality and seized weapons belonging to Mathibeli's company Calvin Family Group as tension reaches fever pitch between the businessman and KZN's top cop.
Image: IOL Graphics
An early-morning raid by elite KwaZulu-Natal police units at the Camperdown-based Mkhambathini Local Municipality has raised serious questions about the scale and legality of armed security at the largely rural municipality.
The operation comes amid rising legal tensions between businessman Calvin Mathibeli and KZN police commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.
Members of the Public Order Policing (POP) and Tactical Response Team (TRT) entered municipal offices on Tuesday to conduct a firearms compliance search linked to bodyguards assigned to senior political figures. Several armed guards were temporarily locked inside an office while officers inspected firearms and supporting documentation.
The mayor of Mkhambathini Local Municipality in Camperdown, KwaZulu-Natal whose bodyguards were taken in for questioning following a police raid investigating gun compliance.
Image: Supplied
Three bodyguards were taken in for questioning; one assigned to Mayor Nhlakanipho Ntombela and two protecting Deputy Mayor Nonhlanhla Maphanga. The security team is supplied by Mathibeli’s company, Calvin and Family Group, which has previously faced scrutiny over firearm compliance. Sources indicate that more than 10 bodyguards are employed to protect municipal officials, raising concerns about whether all weapons are properly licensed.
The local municipality has only 14 council members half of whom are ward councillors and the other half selected from party lists to ensure proportional representation.
The Deputy Mayor of Mkhambathini Local Municipality Nonhlanhla Maphanga whose two bodyguards were questioned by the police during an early morning raid.
Image: Supplied
These developments follow a legal clash between Mathibeli and Mkhwanazi. On Monday, the Durban High Court dismissed Mathibeli’s leave to appeal a defamation case brought by the police commissioner, ordering him to withdraw defamatory statements and pay legal costs. Mathibeli subsequently deleted the posts.
Earlier this month, the KwaZulu-Natal High Court also dismissed Mathibeli’s urgent bid to block police inspections of his companies under Operation Buyisa, reaffirming SAPS’ powers under the Firearms Control Act to enforce compliance.
KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshuinda confirmed the operation, stating investigations are ongoing across the province.
“The operation is ongoing at other parts of the province, and the basis of investigations and the outcomes will be communicated in due course,” he said.
The raid highlights growing scrutiny over private security in municipalities and the legal authority of SAPS to ensure firearm compliance among those tasked with protecting political office bearers.