There’s multiple technique to depart a job, however being poisoned with cyanide isn’t excessive on the listing.

However that is precisely what occurred in South Africa, says Andre De Ruyter, the previous CEO of state-owned power provider Eskom, per Insider. The incident reportedly occurred in early December, he stated, in a now-deleted (however seen by Insider) interview with Annika Larsen on eNews Channel Africa Tuesday.

Within the interview, De Ruyter claimed the cyanide was in his espresso. It’s unclear who poisoned him — if such an occasion occurred.

“So it is a suggestion and studying that I can share, by no means have a personalised mug. It is a dangerous thought,” he stated.

De Ruyter grew to become CEO of Eskom in 2020. The power firm is the nation’s major provider of power however is embattled: It has been instituting blackouts periodically since 2008, as a result of it does not have sufficient provide to fulfill demand, per Bloomberg.

However issues have reached a brand new degree, the outlet famous. Eskom raised power rationing, referred to as “load-shedding,” within the nation, to document ranges on Tuesday. Individuals have struggled to entry requirements like oxygen machines as a result of every day blackouts, and funeral properties are coping with rotting corpses, per CNN.

De Ruyter privately handed in his resignation on December 12, per Insider. That very same day, he encountered a cup of espresso on his desk and drank it.

He stated he requested his private assistant to deliver him espresso, however the mug was left alone on a desk for a time period as a result of the espresso machine was not working.

“By the point she got here again, the machine had been repaired, and a espresso was then offered to me. I then drank this espresso and did not discover something amiss,” De Ruyter stated.

Then, he stated, he started to really feel disoriented, forgetful, and “nauseous.”

“I began gasping for air. I used to be panting after which I stated: ‘There’s one thing mistaken right here, I must get to a health care provider shortly,'” he stated within the interview.

He claimed that he was examined and handled for poisoning on the hospital. Eskom stated in early January the police had been investigating the incident.

As for why the nation experiences blackouts: “The blackouts are brought on by an ageing fleet of coal-fired energy stations that the dysfunctional state energy firm, Eskom, is struggling to maintain on-line,” The New York Instances wrote earlier this month. South Africa has declared a “state of catastrophe” over the problem, the outlet added.

De Ruyter claimed within the interview, per Insider, that the blackouts had been partially as a consequence of corruption from a “high-level politician” and arranged crime.

Regardless, it will not be De Ruyter’s drawback anymore. The unique plan was for him to remain on as CEO till March, however after the interview aired, the corporate introduced that “he might be launched from his place with rapid impact.”