The South African Police Service has been dragged into an increasingly bitter battle between SAMRO CEO Annabell Lebethe and Owen Thulani Ndlovu, with SAPS Legal Services now asking the State Attorney to intervene after a court dismissed Lebethe’s harassment application against Ndlovu.
In a striking 27 August 2026 letter, SAPS Legal Services in Gauteng asked the State Attorney to assist Ndlovu in accessing the building at 20 De Korte Street, Braamfontein, and performing his duties without what it describes as “disturbance” from Lebethe.
The letter is particularly damning because SAPS explicitly records that there is no court order preventing Ndlovu from entering the building including the third floor where Lebethe’s office is located.
The correspondence, addressed to the State Attorney and marked for the attention of Col Marite, refers to the matter of Annabell Lebethe against Owen Thulani Ndlovu and to judgment delivered on 17 July 2026 by Additional Magistrate MA Thirtle.
SAPS Legal Services wrote: “The above matter refers as well as the judgment handed down on 2026 July 17 by Additional Magistrate MA Thirtle where the court dismissed applicant’s application for harassment and prohibiting Mr Owen Thulani Ndlovu to access 3RD Floor of 20 De Korte Street, Braamfontein.”
The police legal office then makes its request to the State Attorney: “We kindly request your office to assist the Respondent Mr Owen Thulani Ndlovu to access the buildings and perform his duties at the building without any disturbance from the applicant, Annabell Lebethe since there was no order which is prohibiting Mr Owen Thulani Ndlovu to access the building, especially 3RD Floor of 20 De Korte Street, Braamfontein.”
The letter concludes: “We trust you find all in order and hope your office will be able to assist the respondent.”
The extraordinary intervention raises a simple but explosive question, why does a police employee apparently need the intervention of state lawyers to access his workplace when SAPS itself says there is no court order preventing him from doing so?
Ndlovu says he has already tried to get the letter served on Lebethe but has failed.
Speaking to Africa Daily, Ndlovu said he had exhausted his efforts to ensure that Lebethe received the SAPS correspondence.
“I’ve done everything in my power to get the letter served to her but failed. I even approached the Hillbrow police to assist but I couldn’t get assistance. My next stop is to escalate this to General Mkhwanazi so he can intervene,” he said.
Ndlovu said the issue was ultimately about his ability to return to work and carry out his responsibilities.
“At the end of the day I’ve got to work and perform my duties. The Court found in my favour and no one is going to go against the court, no one can block me,” he said.
His comments come after the magistrate dismissed Lebethe’s application, with the judgment reportedly discharging the interim protection order that had previously been granted.
The court battle has its roots in a deeply fractured relationship between Lebethe and Ndlovu, who is a SAMRO member and founder of Artists United.
The two parties operate from the same building, with Lebethe’s office on the third floor and Ndlovu’s business having operated from the seventh floor.
Lebethe has not been accused of a criminal offence by this article, and the SAPS correspondence does not establish that she committed any unlawful act.
But the extraordinary intervention by SAPS Legal Services has placed a new document squarely on the table, one that appears to strip away any suggestion that a court order currently bars Ndlovu from entering the building.
And now, with Ndlovu threatening to escalate the matter to Gauteng Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant-General Mkhwanazi, the battle over access to 20 De Korte Street appears far from over.
