A senior executive at Eskom allegedly offered a hitman R400 000 to assassinate a middle manager who had exposed looting operations by organised crime syndicates, according to City Press.
The hit was reportedly ordered on Dorothy Mmushi, a middle manager in the state-owned power utility’s forensic department, who had reported a chain of illicit activities to the South African Police Service (SAPS).
Mmushi received a phone call — which was recorded — during which an anonymous hitman said he was being paid to kill her.
‘I’ve been paid R50 000 already and I’ll get the balance after I kill you.’ he said.
‘I need you to understand properly what I’m telling you. Your boss, who works with the people [who’ve paid me], says you’re disturbing them,’ City Press quoted the hitman as saying.
‘Your boss is eating with these people. There are cases around certain tenders that you’re busy investigating and, my sister, I was supposed to kill you a long time ago.’
He added that a total of three hitmen had been paid to carry out the hit.
Mmushi reported the threat to Eskom and the SAPS, and has been in touch with Hawks boss Godfrey Lebeya.
Mmushi says Lebeya has failed to ‘make as little as an attempt to arrest this hitman’, while her reports to Eskom appear to have fallen on deaf ears.
‘I’m terrified and shocked. I’m also disappointed in my employer because I laid a grievance, but nothing’s been done to date. I believe the man who called me was warning me of the plot to kill me,’ said Mmushi.
Corruption and criminal activity at Eskom power stations contribute significantly to Eskom’s poor performance and its need for load-shedding.
[Image: Mohamed Hassan from Pixabay]