Notorious diamond dealer Louis Liebenberg will have to wait a little longer before being sent to Weskoppies Psychiatric Hospital for evaluation, and will return to court in December to hear his fate.
On Tuesday, Liebenberg, his wife Desiree Liebenberg, and his co-accused Magdelena Petronella Kleynhans, Helena Dorothea Amy Schulenburg, Adriaan Dewald Strydom, Christelle Badenhorst, Nicolize van Heerden and Walter Niendinger appeared in the Bronkhorstspruit Magistrate’s Court for charges relating to more than R4 billion in fraud.
Johannes Petrus Badenhorst wasn’t present on the day.
They face 42 counts of fraud (alternatively theft), five counts of racketeering, six counts of money laundering and various statutory offences, including contraventions of the Companies Act.
The group will return to court on 13 February to extend their bail, while October and November were already set out for the pre-trial of the case.
Liebenberg’s long wait for mental evaluation
Liebenberg, who has still not been successful in his bail applications so far, is currently 52nd on the waiting list to be evaluated at Weskoppies and might have to wait two more months after he raised his voice at the magistrate in August. He will return to court on 10 December for the continuation of his bail application.
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Liebenberg addressed the media after his court appearance. He said he and his wife haven’t had any contact for four months. “We are committed Christians, and there’s not a Bible that we could find in our prison; there’s a Qur’an, but no Bible. I was conducting church, but that has also stopped.”
‘I am not a happy chappy’
Liebenberg said it seems like he has no rights while awaiting trial.
“I call him F**ko-the-clown, Pieter Groenewald, we call him that in prison, because he had no idea what was happening in South African prisons. He has to come and visit me and check what is happening,” he said.
“Groenewald brags about cutting R468 million from the budget like it’s an achievement. You have to go and see what’s happening in prison, and that’s why when I get here, I am not a happy chappy.”
Liebenberg also complained about not being able to go out to the courtyard to exercise and said he lost so much weight that he weighed the same as he had in matric.
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Court accused of prejudice
Liebenberg also said he was faced with prejudice by the court and added that the court had started attacking him.
“That’s why I will never betray President Jacob Zuma, never ever him or the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party,” he added.
Liebenberg said when Zuma visited him in prison, they couldn’t discuss anything because they were being watched.
“If the state is saying that I am hiding stuff, the question is, why are the Hawks hiding stuff from us?” he asked.
“Enough said because if I go on and on, I will end up number two on the Weskoppies list,” he said.
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Before being escorted out of the court, Liebenberg greeted his wife, who was sitting across the courtroom.
“Dezi is my life, she knows it, she’s so strong, and she is getting bullied. She’s innocent 100%. Put yourself in my position. We are in small holding cells and can’t phone each other. Now that’s South Africa for you, we are f***ed,” he said.
Liebenberg said there was no such thing as awaiting trial in South Africa.
“Everybody has been found guilty before they have even gone to court.”
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