Edcon (South Africa) was hit by ransomware claimed by thegentlemen, impacting edcon.co.za, the Johannesburg-based retailer with major regional brands. The situation disrupted a business already under restructuring, leaving creditors dealing with ongoing proceedings in South Africa. #SouthAfrica
Incident Details
- Victim: Edcon
- Sector: Manufacturing
- Country: ZA
- Actor: thegentlemen
- Source:
- Discovered: 2026-09-30T03:40:25.808942+00:00
- Published: 2026-09-29T14:44:09+00:00
Information
- Founded in 1929 in Johannesburg, it grew into South Africa’s largest non-food retailer.
- Owned well-known chains including Edgars, Jet, CNA, and Boardmans.
- At its peak, it operated about 1,200 stores across Southern Africa and employed around 19,000 people.
- Generated more than R25 billion in revenue and issued roughly four million private-label credit cards.
- A 2007 leveraged buyout led by Bain Capital, valued at about R25 billion, weakened the business and contributed to its decline.
- It lost market share to discount retailers, and COVID-19 lockdowns caused a further R2 billion drop in sales.
- The company entered business rescue in April 2020.
- The group was later broken up, with Jet sold to The Foschini Group for about R480 million.
- Edgars was sold to Retailability for about R350 million, helping save around 5,200 jobs.
- CNA and the credit books were sold to other buyers.
- The holding company no longer trades, and the website now serves as a business-rescue notice board.
- Practitioners Marsden and Schapiro have been distributing sale proceeds to creditors, with payments beginning in September 2024 and proceedings still open in 2025.
Disclaimer: This post is based on public claims made by the ransomware group "thegentlemen". I cannot confirm the accuracy of the information. However, I would be happy to share any official statement from the affected organization to provide clarification.