Legal action threat after illegal PDF of De Ruyter’s book shared on WhatsApp

A pirated PDF of Truth to Power by André de Ruyter has been shared on WhatsApp Messenger.

A pirated PDF of Truth to Power by André de Ruyter has been shared on WhatsApp Messenger.

Published May 17, 2023

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Cape Town - Publishing company, Penguin Random House, has threatened legal action against the illegal distribution and sharing of the, “pirated PDF of Truth to Power by André de Ruyter, which is being disseminated on WhatsApp Messenger”.

De Ruyter, former chief executive of Eskom, makes explosive allegations about widespread corruption he witnessed during his three-year tenure at the state-owned entity, candidly sharing “insights on load shedding, corruption, renewable energy as a solution, and much, much more”.

Penguin Random House said in a statement: “(We are) appalled by the illegal distribution of a pirated PDF of Truth to Power by André de Ruyter, which is being disseminated on WhatsApp Messenger. The distribution of pirated copies infringes our copyright as well as that of the author, and it is unlawful in terms of the Copyright Act of 1976. We wish to make clear to the public that the only way to obtain an ebook legally is to buy it from an ebook retailer or to borrow it from an authorised ebook library.

“Any copying or distribution of a pirated ebook, or any forwarding of a link to the pirated ebook, is unlawful. We will take legal action against individuals who are circulating pirated copies, which may include criminal complaints once we have collected all the necessary information.”

Having learnt of the illegal distribution, De Ruyter’s said: “It seems in South Africa anything related to Eskom is prone to being stolen.”

Cape Times