What was supposed to be a three-day-long bail application by diamond dealer Louis Liebenberg turned into him venting his frustration at the manner he is being treated.

It ended up with the magistrate referring him to a doctor to ascertain whether he is understanding the court proceedings.

The morning in the Bronkhorstspruit Magistrate’s Court started with Liebenberg telling the magistrate, whose name may not be disclosed, that he would be conducting his own bail hearing.

But, instead of proceeding with his bail application, Liebenberg, in a tirade, accused the magistrate, the prosecutor, and Correctional Services of being “boelies”.

He even, at one point, told the magistrate to keep quiet.

“You sound like my mother. Leave me alone so that I can speak… I deserve the freedom to speak, just like any other person… Don’t interrupt me,” Liebenberg told the magistrate when the latter tried to intervene to ask him to proceed with his bail application.

A clearly irritated Liebenberg turned his back on the magistrate at one point and went to sit down while he was still being addressed.

According to him, the State has conspired against him so that there is no more money available for his legal representation.

He also went on a tangent about the conditions in prison and said his weight fell from 130kg to 88kg. Liebenberg further said in certain areas in jail, there are “rats as big as cats”.

According to him, there is nothing like constitutional rights in prison, and he added that Minister Pieter Groenewald does not know what he is talking about if he claims there are.

Liebenberg said it’s impossible to state his case before the court because every time he is in court, things end up in an argument and a “p… contest”.

His case, meanwhile, stands down to Thursday when he is due to be examined by a doctor, following the ruling of the court.

After the court had adjourned, Liebenberg told the media that he “reads between the lines” that his referral to a doctor involves a “mental evaluation”.

Liebenberg, during his previous abandoned bail application, indicated to the court that he was trying his best to prepare in jail for his bail application. This is after his lawyer withdrew for the time being due to a lack of funds.

He also indicated that he plans on calling about 55 witnesses in a bid to prove that the State has a weak case against him.

zelda.venter@inl.co.za

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