Former Northern Cape finance MEC John Block has started his 15-year prison sentence.
The former provincial ANC chairperson handed himself over to a correctional facility in Kimberley on Tuesday morning. This was confirmed by Department of Correctional Services deputy regional commissioner Kenneth Mthombeni.
Block and businessman Christo Scholtz were convicted of corruption and were sentenced to 15 years in prison. The Constitutional Court dismissed their applications for leave to appeal their sentences and convictions last week.
Mthombeni said he could not vouch for Scholtz, who had not handed himself over by Tuesday morning. It is not yet clear when or where he will do so.
This followed the dismissal of their applications for leave to appeal in the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA). The SCA ruled in August that a message needed to be sent out that corruption would not be tolerated.
The Northern Cape High Court previously found that Block had corruptly used his political influence to ensure that Scholtz' Trifecta group of companies were awarded lease agreements with various Northern Cape governmental departments between 2006 and 2008.
In exchange, Block received gratifications, including two payments of R228 000 and R500 000, which the SCA held were "solely" for the purpose of concluding the lease agreements with Trifecta.
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