12 hours ago 2 min read
Eskom CEO André de Ruyter has survived an attempt on his life after an assassin laced his cup of coffee with cyanide in mid-December.
De Ruyter confirmed to the publication that he reported the attempted murder to the South African Police Service (SAPS) on Thursday, 5 January 2023.
He said the case could be assumed to be under investigation.
The attempted assassination happened at Megawatt Park on Tuesday, 13 December 2022 — the day after De Ruyter submitted his resignation as CEO to the Eskom chairman, Mpho Makwana.
However, he noted that his resignation only became public knowledge the day after the poisoning.
De Ruyter is serving his notice period at Eskom, which will see him helm the state-owned power utility until 31 March 2023.
Citing a source external to Eskom, EE Business Intelligence reported that De Ruyter shook uncontrollably, became weak, dizzy, and confused, and repeatedly vomited after drinking from the poisoned cup.
The CEO’s security detail rushed De Ruyter to a doctor after he collapsed. He was diagnosed with cyanide poisoning and received the necessary treatment.
According to the report, subsequent tests confirmed significantly elevated levels of cyanide in his body.
This is not the first time an Eskom executive’s safety has been at risk.
In November 2022, the Hawks and contracted investigators traced and arrested a 27-year-old suspect with “overwhelming evidence” reportedly linking them to a bomb threat against Eskom chief operating officer Jan Oberholzer.
Oberholzer received the bomb threat from an anonymous and unregistered cellphone number in May last year, which he immediately reported to the SAPS.
Cyanide poisoning’: Eskom CEO André De Ruyter opens attempted murder case
De Ruyter reportedly fell sick after his cup of coffee was laced with cyanide.
Outgoing Eskom chief executive officer (CEO) André de Ruyter has opened a case of attempted murder, according to reports.
De Ruyter registered the case on Thursday, 5 January.
“The case can be assumed to be under investigation,” he told energy expert Chris Yelland.
According to EE Business Intelligence, De Ruyter fell sick after his cup of coffee was laced with cyanide at his Megawatt Park office in Sunninghill, Johannesburg.
ALSO READ: André de Ruyter under investigation for ‘irregularity’ at Eskom
After tests were conducted, it was confirmed that De Ruyter got cyanide poisoning, and was subsequently treated by a doctor.
The incident took place on 13 December last year, which was a day after De Ruyter resigned as Eskom CEO.
News about De Ruyter’s resignation was publicly confirmed on 14 December.
His last day at Eskom will be 31 March 2023.
Bug found
The incident following the bugging of De Ruyter’s car last year.
In October, Eskom confirmed that a sophisticated bug was found under the driver’s seat when Ruyter was cleaning his vehicle.
READ MORE: Experts fear De Ruyter has become the target of criminal networks
Although a security researcher dismissed the “sophisticated NSA-level” bug as nothing “particularly intricate nor something advanced nation-state clandestine services would use”.
“Honestly, it looks like a gate remote,” Co-author of the OWASP Application Security Verification Standard and Blackhat review board member Daniel Cuthbert told tech publication My Broadband.
The Citizen’s efforts to reach the police by phone for comment were unsuccessful.
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