Tourism minister Lindiwe Sisulu expressed shock on Tuesday, saying she was denied access to former ANC Northern Cape chairperson John Block in prison.
Sisulu said she went to visit Block in her capacity as his relative.
Briefing the media in Upington after she, her team and anti-apartheid activist and cleric Allan Boesak, were denied access, Sisulu said this was blatant abuse of prisoners’ rights.
“We made the necessary applications to see him. We wanted to be with him. It is also my right to have access to him,” Sisulu said.
Sisulu said after passing through the main gates, they were made to wait an hour before they were told they could not see him.
“Every offender has a right to visitors. Mr John Block is no exception to that. He is entitled to visitors. Pivotally, I had come to see him as a relative,” Sisulu said.
Every offender has a right to visitors. Mr John Block is no exception to that. He is entitled to visitors
— Lindiwe Sisulu
She said Boesak had come to see Block as a pastor and said that was allowed by legislation.
“After much interaction between myself, my team and authorities, we were denied access to see him. They said they had no provision in the law for a minister to visit the prisoner. But this is not true.”
She said her team has confirmed other ministers had been able to visit Block.
Sisulu also said she discovered this was not the first time Block’s rights had been violated.
She alleged that during Covid-19 lockdown in 2020, Block’s name was among those who were set to be released on parole.
“Nobody was able to disclose why his name was removed.”
She alleged a number of sexual offenders were placed on parole and that one offender serving time for rape took Block’s place on the list of parolees.
Block was convicted for corruption and money laundering in 2015 and sentenced to a 15-year jail term. However, he only started serving time in November 2018 at the Upington prison after multiple unsuccessful appeals in the superior courts.
Sisulu said she is weighing her options on the next step to take.
The department of correctional services was not immediately available for comment.
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