Lewis Liebenberg. (Lassaad Adams/Netwerk24)
Just days after the diamond dealer launched his candidacy for parliament, security agents raided Louis Liebenberg's Cape Town home and attached assets including chairs and a refrigerator.
Another raid was carried out at an office linked to Liebenberg in Kempton Park, Gauteng.
A legal representative for the liquidator of Mr Liebenberg's company Tariomix, known by its trading name Forever Diamonds & Gold, said the company was behind the attack.
They said they were looking for “movable and real property” funded by Tariomix investors.
Tariomix, which financed the diamond trade, was placed into final liquidation in the second week of April by the Mahikeng High Court in the North West.
This means that the liquidator may seek out and sell assets to raise funds to distribute to creditors.
Wednesday's raid came just six days after Liebenberg launched a new political party, Hervu. [Rebuild], located in Johannesburg. He is running as an independent candidate in the next election.
“He is a passionate supporter of economic reform and campaigned to put the country's mineral resources in the hands of ordinary people,” Liebenberg's campaign team said in a statement earlier this month.
The 59-year-old said he would work closely with former president Jacob Zuma's MK party if elected to parliament. He had previously given the former president R3.2 million to cover his legal costs.
Mr Liebenberg's lawyer Walter Niedinger previously told News24 that the funds were used by Mr Zuma to pay for private prosecutions against News24 journalist Karin Morgan and senior national adviser Billy Downer, as well as for Cyril. – He said it helped pay for another lawsuit against President Ramaphosa.
Both Mr Zuma's bids failed, and the KwaZulu-Natal High Court in Pietermaritzburg last week removed his case against Mr Morgan and Mr Downer from the court docket.
Liebenberg has been asked to comment on the attack.
