His family confirmed on social media that Hanekom passed away “early this morning in mysterious circumstances” in Pemba, Mozambique.
Hanekom’s wife, Francis, told Sipho Mabena from The Citizen that she has reason to believe her husband was poisoned. He was diagnosed with pneumonia, but she said there was blood in his urine.
She added that he was “bleeding under his skin” and that his vocal cords were destroyed as well, and he could not speak. It was also suspicious to her that authorities didn’t notify her of Hanekom’s passing.
Francis said the 62-year-old Hanekom was admitted to the hospital over the weekend. He was in a coma on Saturday but opened his eyes when she paid him a visit in the hospital on Sunday.
Francis saw him again on Tuesday and said that his condition had improved. He could move his legs, and she added: “I was surprised by his death because he was doing so well. I did not expect he would die.”
Hanekom’s body will be brought back to South Africa as arranged by the SA High Commissioner to Mozambique. DIRCO spokesperson Ndivhuwo Mabaya confirmed that they would “get to the bottom” of Hanekom’s death.
Read – Maritime businessman Andre Hanekom dies in Mozambique while in custody
Alleged involvement in extremist
jihadist activities
Back in August, Hanekom was chased, shot at and kidnapped by four unknown men who were allegedly from the Mozambican military.
Four months later, Hanekom was arrested on charges linked to terrorism. His wife has maintained that Hanekom was innocent and that the accusations brought against him were baseless.
Hanekom, a former resident of Mbombela, Mpumalanga, had been living in Mozambique for more than 25 years. Francis believed that the case was brought against Hanekom in an attempt to get to his beachfront property. She sad at the time:
“Someone convinced a nobody in the Prosecutors’ office to obtain information of a process which is not completed. This is a sure sign that desperate attempts are used to gain public sympathy for the corrupt cops. All this is happening because influential people desire Andre’s property on the beach. Lies will catch up, and those who laugh last, have the best laugh, after all.”
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