SBU Mpisane, who for the past five years has been fighting to walk away with a 50% divorce settlement from a multimillion-rand estate he jointly owned with his estranged PSL soccer team boss and wealthy wife Shauwn Mkhize, is pleading with police to return his firearms.
It is claimed that Mpisane desperately needs the licensed weapons to protect himself after he was attacked four times by the same intruder since December last year.
A well-informed source close to Mpisane said the police confiscated the former eThekwini Metro Police Dog Unit officer’s shotgun and rifle in December last year after he used one of them against three intruders he found in his house and shot one man in the leg while the others got away.
“Police confiscated his shotgun and a rifle. Since Mpisane’s two licensed guns are in police possession, the police haven’t realised he is now in danger of being shot by the same intruder/s or izinkabi (hit men) since he’s unarmed,” Mpisane’s close associate said.
According to the police, a stranger broke into Mpisane’s property at Addison Drive in La Lucia, north coast of Durban on December 22 last year, June 24, July 1 and again on July 7. This is despite the property being heavily guarded by security guards armed to the teeth.
The suspect, Ntokozo Mabaso, who got shot, was again arrested on July 7 after Mpisane had for the fourth time caught him red-handed inside his luxurious property, tied his legs and arms and handed him over to the Durban North police officers. Mabaso will appear in court on July 17.
When responding to Sunday Independent’s enquiry, police spokesperson Constable Thenjiswa Ngcobo did not disclose the suspect’s name despite that he had repeatedly appeared at the Durban Magistrate’s Court, and on Monday was finally denied bail after he had on three occasions been released on free bail. The case was postponed to a date which Ngcobo did not disclose.
It has since been established that the suspect is 28-year-old Ntokozo Mabaso, who is facing charges of conspiracy to commit murder, business burglary for breaking into Mpisane’s business premises, trespassing into Mpisane’s home, and housebreaking.
On July 1, Mpisane arrived home only to be welcomed by a broken window. This time he caught the suspect indulging in his expensive whisky and ciders, and again he apprehended him and handed him to the police.
“The victim saw the suspect inside his residence and was able to identify him as he has caught the suspect trespassing multiple times,” Ngcobo said.
“It is alleged that the victim arrived at his residence and saw that his belongings were reshuffled.”
The friend told Sunday Independent that Mpisane and Mkhize’s relationship was completely broken down to the extent that they were not on talking terms. This was despite that they still lived in the same yard but in different state-of-the-art double-story mansions since their separation in 2018.
“Mpisane is aggrieved that his wife is refusing to give him his 50% part of the estate and that she has returned to her maiden surname despite that they have not received the divorce decree,” said the friend.
When the love was still in the air, Mpisane and Mkhize got married in a joint estate agreement in 1991, and they later inherited Zikhulise Group Holding from Mkhize’s ANC veteran and anti-apartheid activist mother Florence Mkhize.
The company’s subsidiaries included Royal AM Football Club. They also scored millions of rand through tenders, which included constructing RDP houses in KwaZulu-Natal.
Also under their belt are MFJ Boutique, Inyanga Security, Ukhozi Civic, Zikhulise Assessment Center, Zikhulise Auto Restores, Zikhulise Auto Recovery, Zikhulise Cleaning and Zikhulise Exotics.
The friend said Mpisane first caught Mabaso in December, and shot him before handing him over to the Durban North police.
But according to media reports, it was security guards who shot at the intruders.
“Durban North police are investigating a case of conspiracy to commit murder following an incident in which the 28-year-old man was planning to kill a victim (Mpisane) on 22 December 2022 at Addison Drive, La Lucia.
“Reports indicate that the suspect made several court appearances before the Durban Magistrate’s Court,” said Ngcobo.
Mpisane’s friend said Mpisane declined to talk to Sunday Independent as he was “media-shy” and does not want to be seen entertaining whoever was baying for his blood.
The friend, who asked to remain anonymous, said Mpisane was puzzled that in one incident, it seemed that the intruder had gained access to the house using a key.
“Mpisane is now fearing for his life because the police left him unarmed and vulnerable. He does not understand why police confiscated both guns because he only used one to shoot the intruders,” the friend said.
The friend said Mpisane had previously spotted Mabaso loitering near the couple’s property in a quiet La Lucia upmarket suburb a couple of times.
Mpisane is occupying one of the mansions, while Mkhize is in another one. When approached for comment, Mkhize said her house had never been broken into. “Maybe it is the section of my ex-husband. We don’t live together.”
She said that section of the home did not belong to her because “he is staying there”.
According to the friend, Mpisane wants police to interview his estranged wife “to find out where her keys are since they were the only two family members with keys to the house”.
However, Mkhize declined to be drawn into the incidents and allegations that she was refusing to release half of the estate to the husband.
“I have never spoken about him in the media for the fact that he is the father of my kids, and I will stick to that. So, if he wants to say that about me, it is fine. I will never speak about this in the media,” Mkhize said.
The Sunday Independent has learnt that the two had not finalised their divorce since they had not reached a settlement agreement. Mpisane was demanding half of Mkhize’s estate, including money, cars and the house.
However, the friend could not link the break-ins to the divorce.