Politicians, royals ‘lavished with cash, gold, diamonds’ by alleged ponzi king

A damning statement purportedly written by Louis Liebenberg’s former head of security exposes intimate details of how high-ranking politicians and government officials were allegedly lavished with cash, gold and diamonds during clandestine meetings with the alleged ponzi king.

In most cases, the loot was kept in a backpack, ready to be dished out under the close eye of Liebenberg’s wife, Desiree.

Beneficiaries included a senior South African Revenue Service (Sars) official, a Zulu royal, cabinet ministers, senior department officials and politicians.

The statement provides names, designations, dates and amounts paid. The Sunday Times is not publishing the names as the allegations have not been verified.

Heinlo Jooste worked for Liebenberg as his chief protection officer from April 2021 until earlier in 2024 when, he claims, their work relationship soured after diamonds went missing from Liebenberg’s Cape Town home. Jooste claims he was tipped off that his life was in danger and he has since gone underground.

I was expected to carry a bag containing many polished diamonds, gold and silver coins and large sums of cash ... In most cases, Mrs Liebenberg assisted me with the counting of the cash

—  Heinlo Jooste, former bodyguard

While his statement, which the Sunday Times has seen, is not signed, it’s authenticity has been confirmed by Liebenberg himself in a video he posted on social media, as well as by advocate Vaughn Victor, the lead liquidator of Liebenberg’s company Tariomix.

“Yes, this statement was made by Jooste. Everything in the statement is accurate and will come out in court later. It is part of the Hawks’ case,” Victor told the Sunday Times.

“A lot of it is already corroborated by the content of the report about the questioning of Liebenberg’s wife.”

In Liebenberg’s video, also seen by the Sunday Times, he quotes verbatim from Jooste’s statement, and denies all of the former security head’s claims. He says the statement was leaked to him by “connections”.

Attempts to speak to Jooste were unsuccessful, as his phone was switched off.

Liebenberg and his wife, along with seven others, were arrested in October in connection with allegedly swindling investors out of about R4.5bn.

They face 42 counts of fraud, five of racketeering, six of money laundering and various other statutory offences including contraventions of the Companies Act 71 of 2008.

In the statement, Jooste says Liebenberg “used his wealth and his money to garner influence and protection from high-ranking government officials, law enforcement officials, elements within organised crime and many other political players he would deem able to assist him in furthering his cause”.

Jooste often played the role of bagman for Liebenberg.

“I was expected to carry a bag — shoulder bag or rucksack — containing many polished diamonds, gold and silver coins and large sums of cash. It also often contained three to four spare mobile telephones that contained text and voice messages, voice recordings of telephone conversations and recordings of meetings with various individuals.

“Typically during these meetings I would be called upon to produce either a sum of cash to a specified value, or diamonds or coins to a specified value to be handed to the person with whom the meeting was held, or the person’s representative.

“In most cases, Mrs Liebenberg assisted me with the counting of the cash. She would then typically make a note of the payment and to whom it was paid, on either her mobile phone, or manually in a notebook.

In the statement, Jooste describes how money was paid to a minister in May 2021 at an event hosted by Liebenberg.

“After the event Liebenberg handed over R250,000 to her. The cash was wrapped in a napkin and secured with rubber bands.

“Later, in about February 2023 at a restaurant, R400,000 was handed to the minister at the dinner table.”

A high-ranking former political leader also allegedly received payouts. The first meeting took place in April 2022, at Liebenberg’s offices in Marauder House, Kempton Park. “He received a cash payment of R500,000, which was placed inside a paper gift bag, from Mr Liebenberg,” Jooste said.

“In June 2023, I was instructed to retrieve R750,000 in cash from the rucksack. I placed it in a gift bag and gave it to Mrs Liebenberg. The gift bag was handed to the politician just before our departure.”

He said various payments had also been made to the politician’s daughter, with amounts varying between R60,000 and R250,000.

On another occasion a diamond of two to three carats was given to a high ranking politician “as a gift” during a visit to his home on a luxury Johannesburg estate.

“We were instructed to wait at the clubhouse of the estate. There, I was instructed to retrieve a parcel of polished diamonds from the rucksack. Mr Liebenberg selected a GIA certified two-to-three-carat diamond from the parcel, which he later handed over to [the politician] as a gift during their meeting.”

In Kimberley in 2023, Jooste says he was asked to place a wad of cash in the console of a car.

“We attended a lunchtime meeting with [a senior mineral resources and energy departmental official] at the Hussar Grill. At this meeting I was instructed by Mr Liebenberg to retrieve R250,000 from the rucksack. Mrs Liebenberg counted it on the back seat of their vehicle. It was placed in a paper gift bag. Once back inside the restaurant, [the official] handed me his keys and requested that I place the gift bag in the centre console of his vehicle.”

Jooste also details multiple meetings with a top police official, where “a gift parcel with cash in it was handed to him at every meeting”. He said the officer had once paid a late-night visit to Liebenberg at his Bronkhorstspruit home “with two men whom I assume were his security detail” and that they “all wore masks to conceal their identities”.

Jooste also describes a meeting with a Zulu royal in October 2022 at a boutique hotel in Pinetown.

“Mrs Liebenberg came out of the meeting and requested that I retrieve R350,000 from the rucksack. It was placed inside a paper gift bag and taken into the meeting by Mrs Liebenberg. Another payment of R200,000 was made in the same way during a meeting with the royal later that month in Sandton.

According to Jooste, Liebenberg was highly outspoken over perceived injustices against Afrikaners and “die boere”.

“Thus, he saw President Ramaphosa, any pro-Ramaphosa factions and the current ANC government as enemies of the Afrikaners and boere and of himself. By necessity, he would seek to be allied with anyone of influence who would be anti-Ramaphosa, anti-ANC, pro-Zuma and pro-Afrikaner/boere,” Jooste said.

“He approached many people of influence from the left and right of the political spectrum. A hostile and forcible takeover of government was the general underlying theme of many meetings he held with individuals and entities.

“He was pushing very heavily for reconciliation between the Zulu nation and the Boers and thus establishing an alliance of sort. A big problem for him is that the Afrikaners and the Boere are not united for many reasons. He has been successful in gaining the support of only a small proportion of far-right proponents of the anti-Ramaphosa sentiment, making huge financial contributions towards their preparations.”

He said his working relationship with Jooste had soured when, “in February or March 2023” after raids on various premises belonging to Liebenberg by the liquidators of Tariomix, “Mr Liebenberg in a fit of rage and anger, instructed me to get into a vehicle and track down Mr Vaughn Victor and ‘take him out’.

“I refused to follow this instruction, much to Mr Liebenberg’s dismay.”

He said Liebenberg became increasingly hostile to him over the next few months.

Earlier in 2024, after uncovering suspicious activity at Liebenberg’s diamond mine in Koingnaas in the Northern Cape and reporting it to Liebenberg, he received an anonymous call from a man telling him his life was in danger. Later another unknown man told him there was “a hit out on him”.

“I felt very exposed. The possibility dawned on me that the threat might be coming from Mr Liebenberg directly.”

After a burglary at Liebenberg’s Durbanville home in Cape Town, in which valuables went missing, Jooste claims he received information that Liebenberg was sending people “to take Hein out”.

“Due to the fact that I was sure of a definite threat on my life, combined with the knowledge I have of the inner dealings of Mr Liebenberg, as well as my knowledge of his participation and involvement of an impending insurrection or coup, I knew that for my own safety it would be best for me to vacate and make my way to protection and safety in Johannesburg.”

Liebenberg and his co-accused will appear in court on Thursday. 

Sources close to the investigation confirmed Jooste’s statement had been given to the Hawks.

Hawks spokesperson Col Katlego Mogale did not respond to questions by late Saturday.