Blokker allegedly invested around R1.5 million in KZN recovery centre described by former patients as site of forced abductions.
Picture: Hein Kaiser
Attempted murder and kidnapping co-accused Johann Blokker, formerly of Tetelestai Recovery Centre in KwaZulu-Natal, will not say whether he is turning state witness against the four other men charged alongside him.
And the National Prosecuting Authority did not respond to questions about the matter.
Blokker, former enforcer arrested
Blokker, the former non-executive director whom former patients described as the controversial rehabilitation centre’s enforcer, was arrested by Amanzimtoti detectives in Westbrook, Durban, on 26 February, and appeared in court the following morning.
He is the fifth man charged over the death of Luke Edwards on 9 April last year after allegedly being beaten by fellow residents while trying to leave. It remains unclear what Blokker’s alleged role was.
All the accused are out on bail with court appearances scheduled for September.
The Citizen sent written questions to Blokker on WhatsApp at the beginning of July to establish his purported turn to state witness. Despite a reminder, he has not responded.
Among the questions, he was asked to confirm or deny whether he intended acting as a state witness in the Edwards trial.
He was also asked to confirm that he invested around R1.5 million in Tetelestai, what the money was used for, whether he had seen a return on the investment and what his relationship with centre owner Donovan de Klerk amounted to beyond the cash injection.
NPA silent
The NPA was also asked by The Citizen whether Blokker was being considered as a state witness. It had not responded by time of going to press, despite being given a week to comment.
Section 204 of the Criminal Procedure Act allows a witness to testify about offences in which they were involved and, if the court is satisfied they answered frankly and honestly, they may be discharged from prosecution.
The NPA decides who is offered this legal mechanism and it is generally reserved for witnesses whose evidence is considered crucial to the prosecution.
Private investigator Brad Nathanson said such a move would fundamentally reshape the prosecution.
Nathanson has spent more than a year investigating Edwards’ death on behalf of the deceased’s family and building a case to prosecute more people involved.
“If Blokker testifies, this stops being a case about one night in a dormitory and becomes a case about how the operation was run and who paid for it. He was not a monitor taking instructions. He had money in it,” Nathanson said.
Forced abductions and admissions
“Someone on the inside with a financial stake, explaining how patients were brought in and what everyone knew, pivots the whole matter.”
It’s the financial stake that separates Blokker from the other monitors charged alongside him. Former patients previously described forced abductions and admissions to the centre.
One former resident said about 30 such incidents occurred during their stay, all allegedly without the necessary paperwork. Former patients also alleged that Blokker played a role in some removals.
The Citizen’s requests for the Section 33 documentation authorising involuntary admissions yielded nothing.
A magistrate identified as the presiding officer on purported legal documents allowing involuntary admission said he did not recall signing any orders linked to the centre.
