The Durban High Court on Tuesday, 31 March 2026, dismissed Mr Calvin Mathibeli’s application for leave to appeal, awarding punitive costs against him.
Mathibeli had sought to challenge the 27 February 2026 judgment, which ordered him to remove all defamatory posts within 24 hours that he had published about Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi on social media, websites, and other digital platforms. In addition to paying all legal costs, Mathibeli was prohibited from repeating the false accusations he had made against Lieutenant General Mkhwanazi.
The allegations made by Mathibeli, which sought to damage Lieutenant General Mkhwanazi’s reputation, also risked tarnishing the image of the entire police service in KwaZulu-Natal. Lieutenant General Mkhwanazi has welcomed the judgement, saying that it is a valuable lessons 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 Lt Gen Mkhwanazi.
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