Thapelo Mnisi, the suspect accused of sending a bomb threat to Eskom chief operating officer Jan Oberholzer, was released on bail, on Tuesday.
Court approves Thapelo Mnisi bail application
In a statement released on social media, Eskom confirmed the 27-year-old suspect appeared briefly at the Witbank magistrate’s court on charges related to the contravention of the South African Explosives Act 15 of 2003.
From what we understand, Mnisi’s legal representatives convinced the court that not only was the accused not a flight risk but that he would also commit to attending every appearance until the final determination of his case.
The State’s efforts to keep Mnisi behind bars fell short when the Witbank magistrate’s court granted the 27-year-old conditional release.
Mnisi will return to court in January 2023, barring he makes no further contact with Oberholzer.
As reported by IOL News, the 27-year-old was arrested in Vosman, Mpumalanga, on Friday, 18 November 2022, after six months on the run.
According to Eskom security manager Karen Pillay, Obenholzer was targeted in a bomb threat made by a male suspect who made sure to conceal their phone number.
Immediately after Oberholzer reported the matter to Eskom’s internal security investigations team, a trace effort was launched to track down the identifiers linked to the SIM card.
Despite using an unregistered cellphone number, Eskom claimed to have overwhelming evidence that linked Mnisi to the bomb threat.
Pillay also revealed that Oberholzer was not the only Eskom head recently subjected to intimidation.
“This nature and level of threats therefore demands that they focus on their personal safety and that of their families instead, distracting them form the critical task their jobs demand of them,” she said.
It’s believed the Hawks are hard at work in tracking down other suspects linked to threatening Eskom executives.
“Safety and security risks inadvertently impose increased demands on the organisation to secure its resources. We are grateful to the Hawks head office team for their successful investigations and efforts in tracing the suspect at a time when they have many other serious crimes demanding their focus and priority,” Pillay added.