KwaZulu-Natal private security company owner Calvin Mathibeli has spoken out following what he describes as an unlawful police operation in which officers allegedly used a fraudulent warrant to enter and search his properties in both Durban and Gauteng. 
According to Mathibeli, several police officers, some with their faces covered, arrived at a La Lucia property where his sister lives with her children, reportedly in search of him. After being informed that he does not reside at that address, the officers allegedly proceeded to another family home in Durban North.
Mathibeli claims that during this incident, his wife, who is also the Chief Executive Officer of the Calvin and Family Group, was stopped, intimidated, and verbally abused as she was leaving the premises. His statement alleges that she was subjected to insults and derogatory language despite explaining that her husband was in Gauteng at the time.
Later that same day, members of the South African Police Service are said to have visited another family residence in Umhlanga, where private security personnel were questioned about Mathibeli’s whereabouts.
In a further development, Mathibeli’s representative stated that SAPS officers from Alberton later attended the group’s offices in Gauteng, claiming they had instructions to arrest him. The officers allegedly said they were acting on the authority of a “Colonel Smith”.
According to the representative, Mathibeli was informed that he was being linked to a criminal case opened in Edenvale, Gauteng — an allegation he denies and says he has no knowledge of.
Subsequent checks, he claims, revealed that the case number cited does not relate to him. The matter in question is said to involve a different suspect who has already been arrested and has appeared in court.
Mathibeli believes he has been the target of sustained harassment for several years. His statement further alleges that there was a preconceived narrative that, had he been confronted, it would be claimed that he resisted arrest and fired at police officers — a scenario he says would have been used to justify the unlawful use of lethal force.
He has since instituted a R15 million civil claim against the South African Police Service, a step he says has left him particularly vulnerable to retaliation and abuse of authority.
Mathibeli also disputes the legitimacy of the alleged arrest instructions, stating that no directive was issued by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation and that the DPCI has no officer known as “Colonel Smith” associated with the matter.
He has formally demanded a written response from SAPS, including certified proof of the authenticity and validity of the alleged J165 warrant and the related case number.
Describing the incident as an “unlawful rogue police operation”, Mathibeli said the events form part of a broader pattern.
“These attacks are not new. They have been occurring quietly over the past six years, culminating in the civil action already instituted by Calvin and Family Group against SAPS in KwaZulu-Natal,” the statement concludes.
