By Zelda Venter
High Court Reporter
The mother of singer Robbie Klay yesterday vehemently denied she ever had romantic feelings towards the man accused of sexually abusing her son.
Jenny Liebenberg was grilled by the defence in the Pretoria High Court sex trial of Jurie Els, who is facing three charges of having molested Klay.
Liebenberg had earlier testified for the State that although she suspected something was wrong with the relationship between her son and Els, she had never in her wildest dreams suspected Els was molesting Klay. She said that when the former child star confessed to her in 2007 that "Uncle Jurie touched me", she received the "shock" of her life.
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She had never in her wildest dreams suspected Els was molesting Klay
The tearful mother told Acting Judge Chris Eksteen that she had not spoken to Klay about this afterwards, as he had never mentioned it to her again "up to this day".
Liebenberg cried bitterly when she said that she still could not believe what happened. "I blame myself for many things. I should not have allowed him (Klay) to start singing at such a young age. I know I should have seen to it that he completed his schooling."
A visibly upset Liebenberg said she could not recall when Els moved to New Zealand, but added that Els offered Klay a music contract after her son had turned 18. "When he did not achieve this, he got himself a wife and he went to New Zealand," she said.
Liebenberg was extensively questioned about her feelings towards Els and the defence suggested that she had romantic feelings towards him. She was confronted with the fact that she had bought Els an expensive gold chain for Christmas, which he later returned.
She was wearing the same chain around her neck in the witness box yesterday. Asked why she had given Els the chain, Liebenberg said: "I thought he was a nice person, and Robbie and myself wanted to thank him for everything."
Having four different children from four different fathers
She said she had no idea why he later returned the gift. "Is it not because it had a romantic connotation?" defence advocate Danie Dorfling asked.
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