Corruption case of former Northern Cape MEC John Block moves to high court

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