The Durban High Court has dismissed an urgent application by businessman Calvin Mathibeli to prevent the South African Police Service from conducting a firearms compliance inspection at his company premises.
The ruling, delivered on 17 March, found that Mathibeli’s application lacked urgency and ordered him to pay legal costs. Police spokesperson Vincent Mukhathi confirmed that the inspection would proceed as planned under Operation Buyisa at the Durban North offices of Calvin and Family Security Services.
Operation Buyisa is a nationwide initiative aimed at removing illegal firearms and ensuring compliance among security companies and firearms dealers. Authorities say inspections are being conducted across multiple provinces to address the proliferation of illegal weapons and enforce firearm regulations.
The case follows SAPS notifying Mathibeli earlier in March of a scheduled inspection in line with the Firearms Control Act 60 of 2000, which permits such compliance checks.
Meanwhile, tensions have escalated after Mathibeli made serious allegations against KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi. He accused the commissioner of intimidation and claimed there was a plot to have him killed.
Mathibeli alleged that police officers previously arrived at his home intending to arrest him, shortly after he received a warning from a source claiming the operation was a cover for an assassination attempt. He further claimed that such actions were part of a broader pattern involving law enforcement and rival security interests.
In response, KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Robert Netshiunda rejected the claims, stating that the operation in question was conducted by a national unit rather than provincial authorities. He also suggested that Mathibeli’s allegations could prompt closer scrutiny of his business activities.
Police have indicated that further investigations may follow, including those linked to claims that Mathibeli benefited from a Gauteng Department of Health tender.
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