A long court saga continues as Liebenberg remains far down a psychiatric evaluation waiting list.
Infamous diamond dealer Louis Liebenberg, who has strong ties to the uMkhonto weSizwe party, will have to wait until next year to be admitted to Weskoppies Psychiatric Hospital in Pretoria West for evaluation, after his case was postponed yet again in the Bronkhorstspruit Magistrate’s Court yesterday.
Liebenberg, usually loud and defiant, appeared briefly and quietly when his case was moved to 22 January.
A rare moment of silence in court
Gone were the slogans, media briefings and courtroom clashes; instead, he stood silently in the dock.
Liebenberg has made multiple appearances this year – in February, April, July, August, November and December – but has not secured bail.
He remains 51st on the waiting list for evaluation after clashing with the magistrate in August.
This marks the second Christmas behind bars for Liebenberg and his wife, Desiree, arrested at the Benoni Country Club in October 2024.
In November, the couple appeared alongside Magdelena Petronella Kleynhans, Helena Dorothea Amy Schulenburg, Adriaan Dewald Strydom, Christelle Badenhorst, Nicolize van Heerden and Walter Niendinger, facing charges linked to more than R4 billion in fraud.
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Johannes Petrus Badenhorst was absent. The group faces 42 counts of fraud, five counts of racketeering, six counts of money laundering and contraventions of the Companies Act.
Complaints about prison conditions and separation
They are due back in court on 13 February, with pretrial dates set for October and November.
Liebenberg has previously addressed the media, lamenting his lack of contact with Desiree.
“It’s really a problem. We are committed Christians and there’s not a Bible we could find in prison; there’s a Koran but no Bible,” he said.
“Dezi is my life. She’s innocent 100%. We are in small holding cells and can’t phone each other. Now that’s South Africa for you, we are f***ed.”
For now, the once-vocal dealer waits in silence, his trial postponed, his faith tested and his freedom uncertain.
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