DA: What is being done after the attempted murder of Eskom André de Ruyter?

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to outline to the nation exactly what is being done to find the culprits responsible for the attempted murder of outgoing Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter.

DA WANTS THE PRESIDENT TO GIVE MORE DETAILS ABOUT THE INVESTIGATION

The DA has condemned the attempted murder of Eskom’s CEO, Andre de Ruyter, at Megawatt Park.

ALSO READ: Eskom CEO André de Ruyter POISONED the day after his resignation

“We condemn the attempted murder while he was dutifully attending to his duties in the wake of his resignation – thrust upon him by factions in the ANC as part of an ostensible deal to secure president Ramaphosa another term in power.

“Not only has de Ruyter been left out to dry amidst ANC shenanigans, but now criminal syndicates within Eskom are palpably hell-bent on cementing their stranglehold on Eskom that is destroying the economy. It is clear that they will stop at nothing.”

Ghaleb Cachalia MP

De Ruyter survived an attempt on his life after an assassin reportedly laced his coffee with cyanide a day after he resigned as Eskom CEO.

ESKOM CEO ANDRE DE RUYTER RESIGNED IN DECEMBER 2022

According to a report by EE Business Intelligence De Ruyter confirmed the attempt on his life, which took place on Tuesday, 13 December 2022, a day after he submitted his resignation as CEO to the Eskom chairman, Mpho Makwana, but before this became publicly known on 14 December 2022.

De Ruyter became weak, dizzy, and confused, shaking uncontrollably and vomiting copiously after drinking a cup of coffee in his office at Eskom Megawatt Park in Sunninghill. He subsequently collapsed, unable to walk.

ALSO READ: ‘Resignation of André de Ruyter will deepen the Eskom crisis’

HE BECAME WEAK, DIZZY, AND VOMITED COPIOUSLY AFTER DRINKING HIS COFFEE

De Ruyter was rushed to his doctor’s rooms by his security detail, where his condition was diagnosed as cyanide poisoning and treated accordingly. 

Tests were taken, and it subsequently confirmed massively elevated levels of cyanide in his body.

TESTS CONFIRMED MASSIVELY ELEVATED LEVELS OF CYANIDE IN HIS BODY

De Ruyter reportedly told the publication that he reported the matter to SAPS [the South African Police Service] on 5 January 2023, and the case can be assumed to be under investigation. 

ALSO READ: Is he being targeted? De Ruyter finds device hidden inside car

This comes merely two months after De Ruyter revealed that he had to hire bodyguards as he receives constant death threats ‘I’m going to come and take out your whole family’.

In October last year, he discovered a suspicious device inside his car.

LAST YEAR A ‘SOPHISTICATED BUG WAS FOUND IN DE RUYTER’S CAR

“I was in the back of my Volvo when I saw something strange on the floor underneath the driver’s seat. The device – a motherboard filled with microchips, immediately looked out of place. I assume it was stuck to the bottom of the seat and must have come loose,”

he is quoted as having said.

After finding the device, Andre De Ruyter reportedly turned to retired commissioner George Fizaz, whose company then launched its investigation to help identify it.

ALSO READ: Eskom: André de Ruyter discusses bodyguards and ‘death threats’

Fizaz is said to have then told De Ruyter that the piece of equipment appeared to be quite sophisticated and so advanced that very few people are able to produce it.

According to Fizaz, the bug could have been used to track De Ruyter’s location and listen to conversations, along with other features.

ALSO READ: Is this the end of load shedding? Five things you need to know about the family meeting

The DA furthermore called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to outline to the nation exactly what is being done by the investigation.

“The DA calls on president Ramaphosa to outline to the nation exactly what is being done to address this mayhem. He needs to do so immediately and must be held to account for every act of omission or commission that has brought us to this sorry state of affairs.

“Not only has de Ruyter been left out to dry amidst ANC shenanigans, but now criminal syndicates within Eskom are palpably hell-bent on cementing their stranglehold on Eskom that is destroying the economy. It is clear that they will stop at nothing.

“All this – worthy of a mafia movie – now plays out while the ANC does nothing to secure our electricity supply despite DA requests to take decisive action. Loadshedding – rolling blackouts – continue to hobble the economy and have become an embedded feature in the daily lives of millions of South Africans.”

Ghaleb Cachalia MP