179 Global News Post 3

Photo: Mzangwe, L. (2023, January 13). Louis Liebenberg – Zuma’s Diamond Moneyman on why he’s behind Msholozi till the end. The Citizen. Retrieved March 26, 2023, from https://www.citizen.co.za/news/private-prosecution-only-way-zuma-justice-january-2023/

Former South African President Jacob Zuma’s main benefactor, or sponsor, Louis Liebenberg, has been accused of running a diamond-dealing Ponzi scheme to acquire all of his money. Allegedly, R100 million, which is about five and a half million dollars, had been invested into this scheme. The case originally caught public eye in November 2019, but Police Minister, Bheki Cele, stated on March 14th that the case is still going on and that absolutely no Information pertaining to it will be available to the public. Both Zuma and Liebenberg have consistently denied all accusations. But, what is also worth noting is that there is very little information regarding the case online. The relationship between these two men seems to run fairly deep, as Liebenberg has gifted a lot of money to Zuma and his circle. And Zuma had provided Liebenberg with what seemed to be immunity on the part of a diplomat. There has been much speculation that the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) has been intentionally covering up the case in collusion with Liebenberg. The company, Tariomix, “was placed into provisional winding up by the North West high court in Mahikeng last month.” But Liebenberg and Zuma also were the center of media attention recently, as Liebenberg financed Zuma’s defense in his illegal arms dealing case.

Jan Gerber is a parliamentary reporter for News24 from Cape Town. He is very knowledgeable with South African politics and policy and has been with the country’s leading news source for nearly six years. The article is more informative than anything, but the evidence presented came straight from an exchange between Cele and Pieter Groenewald, leader of the Freedom Front Plus (right-wing political party). This is the only concrete source listed in the article. Although, it seems to be very credible, yet not at all revealable. This points towards the country’s ongoing corruption scandals that had been a big defining factor during Jacob Zuma’s reign as President.

Gerber, J. (2023, March 19). Hawks investigation into Zuma’s diamond-dealing benefactor Louis Liebenberg ‘sensitive’ – Cele. News24. Retrieved March 26, 2023, from https://www.news24.com/news24/politics/parliament/hawks-investigation-into-zumas-diamond-dealing-benefactor-louis-liebenberg-sensitive-cele-20230319