Police Raid Durban Security Firm Sparks Owner’s Outrage Over Tactics

On February 13, South African police conducted a routine firearm compliance inspection at Calvin and Family Security Services in Durban, but owner Calvin Mathibeli condemned the unannounced entry, scuffles with guards, shouting insults, and hours-long detention of employees in a boardroom.

Mathibeli, whose firm founded in 2005 has faced prior raids and arrests he deems unfair, vowed legal action against what he sees as a pattern to ruin his business. While police described it as standard procedure and some defended securing the scene, the incident underscores ongoing tensions between private security companies and law enforcement amid South Africa’s high crime rates.