Businessman Calvin Mathibeli has been dealt a blow after his leave to appeal a previous judgment, which gave him 24 hours to remove all defamatory posts which he made about KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi
The Durban High Court handed down judgment on Tuesday, 31 March 2026, dismissing Mathibeli’s leave to appeal and ordering punitive costs.
Appeal
Mathibeli had sought to appeal the 27 February 2026 judgment, which gave him 24 hours to remove all defamatory posts he had made about Mkhwanazi on social media, websites, and other digital media.
He was ordered to pay all legal costs and was also prohibited from repeating false accusations he had made about Mkhwanazi.
Police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said the defamatory, “character-assassinating allegations” made by Mathibeli had the potential to tarnish the image of both Mkhwanazi and the entire police service in KZN.
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Judgement welcomed
Mkhwanazi has welcomed the judgement, saying that it is a valuable lesson to “loose-tongued individuals” who recklessly defame others with no proof.
“This victory is for law-abiding South Africans who denounce criminality and aspire for a crime-free South Africa. Anyone can be challenged, but defaming a person should not be part of the debate.
“The law is for us all, and everyone has Constitutional rights which must be respected at all times,” said Mkhwanazi.
Loggerheads
Mathibeli, who has been at loggerheads with Mkhwanazi, has on numerous occasions publicly accused the KZN top cop of corruption and of involvement in criminal activity.
In a social media post on 16 February 2026, a Facebook account with the chairman of Calvin and Family Group’s name posted a statement with several allegations, including intimidation, a murder plot against him and corrupt dealings within the KZN SAPS.
The post on Facebook is currently not available because the user has only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it or deleted it.
At the time, Netshiunda said the social media post by Mathibeli was “malicious, baseless, unfounded and somewhat threatening.”
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