Pretoria – The High Court in Pretoria has granted the National Prosecuting Authority’s (NPA) Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) a final forfeiture order against ZencoCare (Pty) Ltd, a company linked to an unlawful diamond investment scheme involving Louis and Desiree Liebenberg.
The order, made in terms of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act, covers R4 million plus interest held in a Standard Bank account. Investigations revealed the funds were the proceeds of a fraudulent scheme run through the Forever Diamonds and Gold group of companies, which promised lucrative short-term returns on diamond parcels that never existed. Instead, investor funds were misused to pay earlier participants, in what authorities describe as a Ponzi-type operation.
ZencoCare, directed by Desiree Liebenberg, transferred R5 million to attorneys in 2024. Of this, R1 million was paid to Eskom for mining-related activities, while the remaining R4 million was preserved and has now been forfeited to the State. The money had originally been earmarked for the purchase of West Coast Resources, a Northern Cape diamond mining company.
The recovered funds will be paid into the Criminal Assets Recovery Account (CARA), which redirects criminal proceeds to support efforts against organised crime and corruption.
The NPA welcomed the ruling, saying it sends a strong message that “criminal enterprises will not be allowed to profit from their unlawful schemes.”
This case forms part of wider investigations into the Forever Diamonds and Gold group. Louis and Desiree Liebenberg, along with seven co-accused, face charges of fraud, theft, racketeering, and money laundering. They are due to appear in the Bronkhorstspruit Magistrates’ Court on 25 November 2025. The Liebenbergs remain in custody, while the co-accused are out on bail.
