A large group of police on Tuesday raided businessman Calvin Mathibeli’s offices in three provinces.
The vocal logistics and private security boss owns the security services firm, the Calvin and Family Security Group (CFSG). He recently clashed with KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner, Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.
The top cop has gone to court, demanding that Mathibeli stop talking about him on mainstream and social media.
Mkhwanazi’s defamation lawsuit against Mathibeli
The KwaZulu-Natal High Court in Durban heard Mkhwanazi’s defamation lawsuit against the businessman. It ordered him to retract defamatory and unsubstantiated allegations of corruption and criminal involvement against Mkhwanazi. The businessman has since filed for leave to appeal the judgment.
Sunday World understands that on Tuesday, SAPS members descended on Mathibeli’s offices in Durban, Johannesburg and Polokwane. They arrived with a search warrant that was reportedly authorised by the Palm Ridge Magistrate’s Court to conduct search and seizure operations at CFSG.
‘Police raids happening for years’
The latest police action comes after a series of raids at the businessman’s properties in previous years.
Mathibeli told Sunday World on Tuesday that the raids did not surprise him. He said that KZN Police Spokesperson Col Robert Netshiunda told Newzroom Afrika on 17 February that the businessman had invited them to investigate his business dealings. He added that they would target Mathibeli.
Netshiunda said that the arrest warrant used to raid Mathibeli’s Durban office and his private residence in December was fake, and that police were investigating how it was issued, and by whom.
Mathibeli said he was aware of raids in Durban, Johannesburg and Polokwane.
‘Raids are another way of silencing me’
“I was told that apparently the police conducted search and seizure operations at my three business premises, including an inspection of illegal firearms.
“We don’t have illegal firearms. Basically, the search warrant also speaks about the seizure of some documents. What I can tell you is that it is another way of silencing me.
‘They wanted to kill me’
“You should understand that in December last year they came with a fraudulent warrant of arrest, as they wanted to kill me and they couldn’t find me. On January 7, they came to do a firearms inspection, and they found nothing wrong and signed that everything was in order. Then they came back on February 13 with no search warrant and took our firearms, which they had not even brought back even today,” said Mathibeli.
He alleged that the current police raids were meant to cover up previous raids conducted at his premises.
“These raids had been happening for the past six years mainly in KwaZulu-Natal. You can tell that all these stories are fabricated to dent our image and the police have planted spies within my business to spy on me. That search warrant was issued by the Palm Ridge court [sic] to allow the police to raid my office in Gauteng, and it was duplicated and sent to other provinces for the same raids,” he said.
‘Police are abusing their power’
He said that raids in Gauteng started last year, however, he pointed out that most of the raids had been taking place in KwaZulu-Natal.
“The police are abusing their power, as I have been subjected to this for many years. I am being targeted because I have exposed the crime syndicate operating within the police. The intention is to silence me and I am not going to be silenced, even after their attempt to kill me, where they had failed.
“There is also one guy called Molemela Magesta Setona of Matla Security Services who knows about all the raids that would happen at my businesses before they can be executed, as he works with the police to destroy my business, and I am saying this to make it clear that there is an agenda waged against me. The fact is that I am not scared of anyone and I am not going to be silenced by anyone for that matter, including Magesta himself,” said Mathibeli.
Setona denies knowledge of raids
When contacted, Setona, who is a former police officer, said that Mathibeli should not drag him into things he knew nothing of.
“I have nothing to do with raids happening at Calvin’s businesses and he must not bring me into his own mess. I own Matla Security Services and I am also the president of Mzansi National Security Association, and as that stands, I have no time to be in cahoots with the police organising raids at Calvin’s businesses. I know Calvin and I helped him when one of his clients didn’t want to pay him. He mustn’t come with s*** and associate me with those raids,” said Setona.
This is a developing story, and police comments will be included once they are available.
