Since last week, we have taken note of the comments, media reports, and matters that have received comprehensive coverage about our son, brother, and uncle: John Fikile Block. To this end, we wish to clarify and share the family view:
It is a matter of record that our son John F Block voluntarily stepped down from his official government and ANC positions when allegations and charges were made against him. These allegations were first made in 2003, and the case was registered in 2015.
He voluntarily handed himself over to the Kimberley Correctional Facility on November 27, 2018. He requested to be transferred to the Upington Correctional facility to serve his sentence closer to his elderly parents.
Contrary to the public claims of ANC Chairperson and Premier Zamani Saul, he visited John on two occasions back in 2019. During such visits, John expressed the desire that Saul and the ANC leadership provide moral and material support for his family since his imprisonment denies him being the primary provider to be present to support his family. Premier Zamani Saul made several commitments during these visits that remain empty to this day. In this regard, we can confirm that Comrade Zamani Saul last visited John Block in 2019. He has not seen John F Block since then.
Since we share family relations, John has known and been in contact with Minister Lindiwe Sisulu before and during his incarceration. The visit of Minister Lindiwe Sisulu in her capacity as a family member, i.e., was arranged and agreed to a few weeks ago and confirmed to him by the Area Commissioner. The presence of Rev. Dr. Allan Boesak was also confirmed at the same time. John Block was profoundly disappointed and hurt that Minister Lindiwe Sisulu’s visit could not materialise on the day. It saddened him more when the prayer by Rev. Dr. Boesak, a stalwart of the liberation struggle, was also summarily rejected by DCS.
Block came to know of the cancellation of the scheduled visits through friends and family since no DCS Official in the Correctional Centre informed him of the cancellation of the visit and the reasons thereof. He heard most of the commentary on the news and from friends and family.
Minister Lindiwe Sisulu and Rev. Dr. Boesak were the first people to physically come and express their support and prayers with John Block’s parents and family. Furthermore, since John’s incarceration, none of the people he worked with in the government or the ANC, Local, Regional and Provincial, visited the family.
It is also a matter of record that his wife and children were never visited to ascertain their well-being. Also, we can confirm that no moral or material support to his entire family was ever availed from those earlier mentioned. On the contrary, those of the Block family who are fortunate to be employed appear side-lined regardless of their respective length of service and requisite qualifications. This form of vindictiveness pains our son and his family.
Furthermore, the claims made by Premier Zamani Saul in his most recent interviews, including the JJ Tabane Show aired on October 24 and other TV news, are simply devoid of the truth and necessarily hurtful to our son and his family. We thus categorically refute Saul’s public statements as probably driven by an ulterior motive. We humbly ask that Saul desist from making further false claims about our son. We also ask the ANC chairperson and Premier not to abuse our son’s name in politicising the visits of Minister Lindiwe Sisulu and Dr. Boesak. The family remains disturbed that Premier Saul could accuse the visitors of our son of spreading lies on their denied visit.
Our son taught us always to care and be truthful to people, friends, and comrades at all times. DCS sees him as a model prisoner who continues to empower and assist fellow inmates, including at-risk youth. In our understanding, John always regarded and continues to see the ANC as more significant than himself. To this end, he places the unity of the ANC as sacrosanct.
The experienced lack of care, disrespect for shared humanity, and untruthfulness define our son’s betrayal by the same peddlers of lies and untruths.
The family still looks forward to the visit by Minister Lindiwe Sisulu and Rev. Dr. Boesak. Their presence served as a source of inspiration for the family, and we, as a family, are sure that our son is eagerly awaiting their visit.
Our conviction is that the ANC in the Northern Cape is aware of the real reasons for the imprisonment of our son; they know the truth.
We hope this clarification helps the people of South Africa to appreciate the events that have unfolded since last week.
