Paul Mashatile’s Office to Return Precious Stone Gift From Louis Liebenberg, SA Has Questions
- Paul Mashatile's office confirmed they would return a precious stone his wife received from Louis Liebenberg
- The Deputy President's office said they would return the gift after the allegations made against the diamond dealer
- South Africans are questioning why the gift was never disclosed before Liebenberg was arrested
Source: Getty Images
PRETORIA — Paul Mashatile's office is set to return a precious stone gifted to the Deputy President's wife.
Mashatile's wife, Humile, was gifted the stones by diamond Ponzi scheme-accused Louis Liebenberg. Mashatile's office explained that the gift was an unsolicited one.
Precious stone to be returned
The Deputy President's office confirmed they would return the gift following the allegations against Liebenberg.
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He stated that the Head of the Office of the Deputy President had engaged with professionals to verify the stone's authenticity and value so they could declare it in Parliament.
While this was being done, the allegations against Liebenberg started to surface.
“Due to the nature of allegations made against the donor, the Head of Office decided that the gift be returned. The Deputy President and Mrs Mashatile are fully briefed and have agreed to the decision,” Khoza said.
Liebenberg appears in court
Arrangements are underway to return the stone, but this has been made more difficult as Liebenberg is in jail.
The diamond dealer, his wife and seven others are standing trial on 42 charges of fraud, theft, racketeering and money laundering.
They are accused of running a R4-billion diamond Ponzi scheme, but Liebenberg has denied the charges against him, saying he was targeted for supporting Jacob Zuma.
During his last court appearance, Liebenberg abandoned his bail application. The case has been postponed to 4 February 2025.
South Africans have their say
Social media users had more questions than answers following the news, as they wanted to know why the gift wasn't declared earlier.
@TsipaA asked:
“Why're they only trying to return it now? They didn't declare it because that wasn't their plan. Things turned out differently. That's why they're clutching at straws. Paul is a corrupt thug.”
@WestdykErna said:
“The question is, how long has she had it? Declaring it to Parliament seems to me like damage control.”
@th3_pizza_guy added:
“We want a video of the stone being returned as proof. These cadres cannot be trusted.”
@JaimeLeighsDad stated:
“Translation: We have been caught with our hands in a cookie jar, and we will now use bureaucracy to its full effect to make this incident go away.”
@JohanBooys54395 said:
“Got caught. They're scared they will be publicly outed. How many have received 'gifts' from Louis in the past? That is the real question.”
@bingbong1597 asked:
“That is an easy way out. How do you return something to someone in prison and whose business has been frozen.”
@boetapta_xxx joked:
“Simply tuck it into the sofa, and everything will settle down.”
@matheb255052 stated:
“There's no such thing as a free lunch. No one is gifting anyone a precious stone out of the goodness of their heart. This is no different from all these political parties that get funded during election season and expect us to believe it's just donations with no strings attached.”
Liebenberg's wife denied bail
In a related article, accused diamond investment scam mastermind Louis Liebenberg's wife was denied bail.
Briefly News reported that Desiree is charged alongside her husband and seven others in a multibillion-rand scheme.
The state opposed her bail, arguing that she was a flight risk and would interfere with witnesses if given bail.
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Source: Briefly News
