By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The former African National Congress (ANC) Northern Cape provincial chairperson John Block has been officially granted parole.
Block was serving a 15-year sentence after he was found guilty on charges of corruption, money laundering, and fraud in 2015.
After many unsuccessful court appeals, he started serving his prison sentence in 2018.
In August, Block was granted R50 000 bail from a 2003 matter involving Babereki Consulting Engineers CC (BCE), which is alleged to have been fraudulently awarded a tender as a structural and civil engineer, as well as a project manager within the mental health hospital construction project.
The Department of Correctional Services said the parole board considered Block’s “meritorious service,” including obtaining a Diploma in Business Management since his sentencing for corruption and money laundering in 2016.
Correctional Services spokesperson, Singabakho Nxumalo, said that all due processes were followed leading up to his release.
“This parole placement decision was taken by the Correctional Supervision and Parole Board (CSPB), following Section 73 of the Correctional Services Act. Effectively, this says that Block is now a parolee and is expected to comply with a specific set of parole conditions until his sentence expires.”
Nxumalo added that Block, 55, was among the inmates who benefitted from the Special Remission of Sentences of 2019, 2020, and 2023, which brought forward his detention period to 13 September 2023.
Block will complete the rest of his sentence in the system of community corrections and will be subjected to supervision in compliance with parole conditions until his sentence expires on June 26 2029, said Nxumalo.