Former Eskom CEO André de Ruyter revealed he will leave South Africa in the interest of his safety.

He was asked in an explosive interview on e-TV that aired on Tuesday if he had any plans to leave the country following his exit from Eskom, De Ruyter said: "I think that will be good for my health."

On Wednesday night Eskom announced that he was released from his position "with immediate effect", a month earlier than expected.

Eskom claimed the decision was a mutual one following a special board meeting.

De Ruyter is leaving Eskom after he revealed widespread corruption within the organisation in an interview.

He said there is knowledge and support of corruption at the highest levels from and within the ANC.

"When individuals talk to foreign diplomats and investors, the bemusement and confusion with which they leave those meetings create a big problem for South Africa's credibility," he said in the interview with e-TV.

De Ruyter also claimed four crime syndicates steal around R1-billion from Eskom each month in Mpumalanga.

"They have a hit squad of between 60 and 70 highly-trained and well-armed people. People get assassinated in Mpumalanga," he said.

De Ruyter was recently poisoned after feeling dizzy and disoriented at the offices - doctors later found high cyanide levels in his bloodstream.

Compiled by Dylan Bettencourt