By Thapelo Molefe
The corruption case against former MEC John Block has been transferred to the Northern Cape division of the high court, marking the latest chapter in the long legal troubles of one of the province’s most controversial political figures.
Block, the former MEC for Transport, Roads and Public Works and ex-ANC provincial chairperson, appeared in the Kimberley Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday where the matter relating to the Kimberley Mental Hospital was formally moved to the high court.
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A pre-trial hearing has been set down for 23 April 2026, according to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).
Block has been charged alongside nine co-accused, including former heads of department Patience Mercia Mokhali, Motlalepula Elias Selemela and Ruth Palm; Tshegolekae Motaung, director of Babereki Consulting Engineers CC; and four company directors, Lourencia Crause, Louis Adriaan Van Niekerk, Monyahi Winston Modisa and Edward Charles Pullen Petzer.
The directors are charged in both their personal and fiduciary capacities.
The accused face charges of fraud, corruption, money laundering and contraventions of the Public Finance Management Act. The case centres on the construction of the Kimberley Mental Hospital, a project that began in 2005 with an initial budget of R297 million but ballooned to more than R1 billion.
According to the NPA, the dramatic cost escalation was driven by “delays, poor workmanship, irregular procurement processes, and repeated changes of contractors”.
The state has said that the financial prejudice has since increased to more than R88 million, resulting in additional corruption charges against all the accused.
The case adds to Block’s already tainted political legacy. In 2016, he was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment for corruption.
After serving part of that sentence, he was granted parole and placed under community corrections supervision until 2029. While still serving his sentence, he was charged in connection with the Kimberley Mental Hospital matter.
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Block has also been embroiled in defamation litigation brought by retired Northern Cape Judge President Frans Kgomo, stemming from allegations linked to his earlier corruption trial. The defamation case was dismissed by the Northern Cape High Court in 2024, and the Supreme Court of Appeal later dismissed an application in the matter in 2025.
The NPA said the prosecution forms part of wider investigations into public corruption and the misuse of state funds, adding that it remained committed to “ensuring accountability and upholding the rule of law in all matters involving public funds and service delivery”.
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