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Minister ‘categorically refutes’ Liebenberg’s claim he ordered prison officials to ‘make his life hell’

Minister ‘categorically refutes’ Liebenberg’s claim he ordered prison officials to ‘make his life hell’
Vincent Cruywagen
By Vincent Cruywagen
31 Oct 2024
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Louis Liebenberg, the alleged mastermind of a R4.5bn diamond scam, claims Correctional Services Minister Pieter Groenewald asked officials at the Kgosi Mampuru Prison to make his life a living hell.

The bail application of Louis Liebenberg (65) and his wife, Desiree (50), along with the other four co-accused in an alleged R4.5-billion diamond scam, was scheduled to be heard in the Bronkhorstspruit Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, 31 October 2024.

However, because court proceedings began late and the accused had to be whisked away at around 3pm to their respective prisons, Liebenberg and his wife’s bail application could not be heard.

‘Cavity-searched’


Near the end of court proceedings on Thursday, Liebenberg’s legal representative addressed the court, stating that, on his client’s instructions, certain details should be recorded. (A court order prohibits the media from publishing the names of the defence and prosecution in the case.)

“While my client was being processed at Kgosi Mampuru Prison last week, the head of prison received a phone call from Minister [Pieter] Groenewald, who allegedly told them in my client’s presence over the phone that they must make his life hell in prison.

“Since then, anyone who defended him while in custody has been assaulted. Late in the evenings, they came into his cell, stripped him naked, strip-searched him, saying, ‘We know you have a phone,’ and performed a cavity search on my client without any proof that he ever had a phone, which he did not have,” Liebenberg’s legal representative alleged.

He further contended that there was no reason for the prison to treat Liebenberg in such a manner. He also expressed concern that prison officials were attempting to break him mentally and claimed they had repeatedly threatened his client.

The magistrate directed Liebenberg’s legal representative to bring the matter before the high court, where they could file a substantive application to address the issue.

Euné Oelofsen, spokesperson for Correctional Services Minister Pieter Groenewald, dismissed the claims.

“The minister has categorically refuted these allegations and stated that he did not issue such an instruction,” said Oelofsen.

A Correctional Services statement on Thursday said, “Minister Groenewald firmly refutes the allegations and is prepared to provide a sworn affidavit to support his position. He has also extended an invitation to Mr Liebenberg to identify the officials in question, which would facilitate a comprehensive investigation into the potential correlation with their cell phone numbers.

“The Department of Correctional Services is tasked with conducting regular searches for cellphones and other contraband items. This includes responding promptly to any tip-offs received from the public. This is a frivolous attempt to mislead the court into granting bail by trying to win the court’s sympathy.”

Court proceedings


Louis and Desiree Liebenberg appeared on Thursday alongside Liebeneberg’s assistant, Nicolize van Heerden (58), Johannes Badenhorst (41) and Christell Badenhorst (42), former directors at companies run by Liebenberg, and former employee Adriaan Dewald Strydom (35) in the Bronkhorstspruit Magistrates’ Court.

Following their respective arguments, Van Heerden was released on R5,000 bail, Christell Badenhorst on R5,000 bail, her husband Johannes on R15,000 bail, and Strydom on R20,000 bail.

During their court appearance last week, Liebenberg’s former lawyer, Walter Niedinger (55) was released on R100,000 bail, and Tariomix co-director Magdalena Kleynhans (54) and Liebenberg’s former office manager Helena Schulenburg (59) on R20,000 bail each.

Following the arrest of the accused, a joint statement by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI or the Hawks) said the nine accused 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 charges against the accused stem from allegations that Tariomix, which traded as Forever Diamonds and Gold, duped investors out of R4-billion. The Hawks’ investigation of the case began in 2019 and culminated with the arrests last week.

Hawks spokesperson Thandi Mbambo further indicated that the nine accused were part of a syndicate involved in fraud and dealing in unpolished diamonds.

Read more: Victims of Louis Liebenberg’s alleged R4bn diamond swindle ‘left penniless’, says ex-employee

New charges against alleged mastermind


During Thursday’s proceedings, the state brought additional charges against Liebenberg, his wife and Kleynhans.

According to the NPA’s Gauteng spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana, new charges had been added in the case.

“The wife, Desiree Liebenberg, is facing an additional charge of corruption while Kleynhans is facing an additional charge of money laundering. More counts will be formulated and added at a later stage.”

Mahanjana said Liebenberg allegedly registered 15 companies where his ex-girlfriend Kleynhans and the rest of the accused, who are either family members or have close relations, were directors.

Mahanjana had previously explained how the alleged scam worked: “In 2020, Liebenberg and Kleynhans registered a company called Tariomix where they were both directors. Another company, Forever Zircon, was registered in 2021. 

“Both these companies were purportedly involved in buying and selling diamonds. Potential investors were lured through social media and radio interviews to invest in the buying and selling of diamonds and were also promised high returns over a short period of time using a cashless platform called AE Switch. Thousands of investors made payments into the platform amounting to approximately R4.5-billion.”

When some investors did not receive the promised payments, they became suspicious and reported the matter to the SAPS, believing they had been defrauded.

Read more: In the name of God — understanding Louis Liebenberg’s grand diamond swindle

Desiree Liebenberg’s bail application will be heard on 15 November, and Liebenberg’s on 18 November. The case against the rest of the accused was postponed to 4 February 2025 for further investigation. DM

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