Edward Adonis (48) once guarded and taught juvenile offenders at Drakenstein Correctional Services. He now helps to protect one of South Africa’s largest retail technology infrastructures from cyber threats as a Systems Vulnerability Engineer in the Shoprite Group’s technology team, S-Tech.
Before cyber security and cloud technologies, Adonis worked inside prison walls as a correctional officer and later as a computer educator for young inmates.
Raised near Simondium in the Boland, Edward grew up in a rural community where opportunities were limited. His father, a warder in Wellington, inspired him in many ways, instilling ambition and exposing him to life beyond his small corner of the Boland.
“He used to take us to Cape Town on weekends. I always knew there was more to life than our small community,” he says.
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After matric, Adonis, who was also an avid runner, worked in a canned food factory. When he wasn’t working, he trained and competed as a provincial long-distance runner. One day, he heard that correctional services were recruiting sportsmen. “I realised this opportunity could send my career in a different direction, so I seized it,” he says. Even though he enjoyed the new challenge, prison was also daunting. “I had to control dangerous people,” he remembers.
Edward Adonis (48), Systems Vulnerability Engineer in the Shoprite Group’s technology team, S-Tech..
Another turning point in Adonis’ career was the day he visited a former running coach, who had a computer at home. “I was very intrigued because it was the first time I actually saw a computer in someone’s house.”
His coach then asked him: “If you are so interested in this, why don’t you start studying in this direction?”
Adonis knew he wanted a computer of his own and decided to sell his Golf Mk1 to buy his first desktop. “It cost R12 000 and I only got R3 000 for the car, so I financed the rest.”
While working in prison, he became the informal “IT guy”, fixing and building computers. When the prison’s computer educator went on leave, he was asked to step in.
“I had no idea how to teach,” he says. “But I said yes.”
Working with juvenile offenders, he saw the difference an education could make. “I could see how the classes changed them (the offenders). Knowing they could type a letter to their mother or family outside, made them feel different. It changed something for them as humans,” he recalls.
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The prison environment taught Adonis to stay calm under pressure, remain highly observant, and expect the unexpected, skills that now help him identify and mitigate cyber threats at the Shoprite Group.
Edward Adonis (48), former prison warder at Drakenstein Correctional Services.
After 14 years, he moved into the private sector, joining Computacenter in Bellville. Starting as a batch analyst, he worked his way up over 11 years as a deployment engineer, eventually working closely with the vulnerability team.
He later specialised in cyber security and ethical hacking, studying while working and eventually earning his certification. “You must ask where the world is going and position yourself accordingly,” he says.
Three years ago, Edward joined the Shoprite Group as a Systems Vulnerability Engineer, while continuing to upskill himself in emerging technologies such as cloud security, with support from the retailer through access to learning platforms such as Udemy and funding for professional certification exams.
The Shoprite Group, which employs around 170 000 people and created more than 8 700 new jobs in its last financial year, invested about R1.1 billion in training and development in 2025, supporting employees like Adonis to upskill continuously.
“I want to be a peaceful, happy person and positively impact others wherever I go,” Adonis says about his ultimate life goal. But he also wants to contribute and make the world a better place. “I want to add value,” he says. And that he does, warding off one cyber threat at a time.