A father and son accused of defrauding 45 victims of more than R30 million appeared in the Newcastle Regional Court recently, where their bail application was denied. The pair, 73-year-old Wilhelm Liebenberg and 40-year-old Christiaan Jacobus Liebenberg, will remain in custody after the court remanded the case to 29 January.
The duo was arrested after Royal Investigations, a private firm, conducted an extensive probe into a series of investment frauds. The Liebenbergs allegedly operated the scams under shell companies known as Delos Management and Villion Trading.
Royal Investigations established that the schemes were advertised primarily on Facebook, where the suspects unlawfully used the names and images of well-known figures such as Elon Musk, Dr Corné Mulder, and Johann Rupert.
Royal Investigations stated: “Forty-five victims were positively identified, with confirmed financial losses amounting to R31,543,114.00 incurred between 2022 and 2024. Evidence further indicated the involvement of three additional suspects, who have been identified and are expected to be apprehended in due course. The investigation revealed that this was a highly sophisticated and organised scam, which deliberately targeted elderly and vulnerable individuals.”
The father and son duo were initially arrested in Roodepoort in August 2025 in connection with a separate R16 million Bitcoin-related fraud case.
Newcastle SAPS spokesperson Captain Arumugam said that the arrests, carried out by the Johannesburg K9 Unit and the DPC Tracing Team, marked a major breakthrough in a complex investigation led by Warrant Officer Henning De Meyer.
The duo lured victims with promises of lucrative cryptocurrency investments, convincing them to deposit large sums into specified bank accounts under the belief they were purchasing Bitcoin. “After multiple payments, the victims received no returns, and the suspects stopped communicating when refunds were demanded,” she said.
The case was registered at Newcastle SAPS. With assistance from the South African Banking Risk Information Centre (SABRIC), financial records showed deposits linked to the suspects’ accounts across three banks.
“Armed with compelling evidence, Warrant Officer De Meyer secured warrants of arrest, leading to the suspects’ apprehension in Roodepoort. Several electronic devices were seized and are undergoing forensic analysis,” Arumugam said.
Newcastle has long been a hotspot for fraud. In September 2025, authorities revealed that out of 184 police stations in KwaZulu-Natal, Newcastle ranks among the top five for reported fraud cases.
