Johannesburg - The family of a man who died when his Ford Kuga burst into flames in December 2015 have withdrawn from participating in the judicial inquest into his death.
This is after the family accepted that Reshall Jimmy had died in the vehicle but that the cause had been undetermined.
According to News24, Jimmy's sister Renisha said she made the decision after sitting through weeks of testimonies and listened to the findings of various witnesses provide theories of what could have caused the blaze the night her brother died.
A position paper submitted to the State and Judge Robert Henney by the Jimmy family and Ford SA states that it appeared to both parties that a finding of "undetermined" was inevitable, based on the procured evidence.
"We as a family accept that there is no evidence uncovered in the inquest thus far to suggest that my brother committed suicide, that he was murdered or that there was a Ford product failure in the vehicle of my brother on 4 December 2015," Reshall's sister Renisha is alleged to have said in an affidavit handed to the court.
"Our attorney and counsel have advised us that there are material conflicting views between six expert witnesses as to the cause and origin of the fire.
"My family accepts the advice of our legal advisors, and that a finding of 'undetermined' is just."
Renisha allegedly stated to News24 that they as a family were satisfied with the inquest proceedings and had only wanted closure following allegations that her brother had committed suicide or murdered.
AfriForum also confirmed that head of Private Prosecution Unit Advocate Gerrie Nel, would be withdrawing from the case.
Nel had led the inquest into Jimmy’s death on behalf of the family.
“The interest of the family was appropriately dealt with and we are satisfied that the inquest is proceeding in a way that justice will prevail,” said Andrew Leask, Investigator at AfriForum’s Private Prosecution Unit.
Leask said they had taken on the matter with the aim, of among others, dispelling baseless rumours and they were now convinced that the evidence led so far excludes any indication linking Jimmy's death to any criminality or suicide, or that he was murdered – "as was rumoured at the commencement of the inquest."
Judge Robert Henney, who is presiding over the inquest, had in the past stressed that the point was not to find anybody guilty but to examine the available evidence and decide whether there was any prima facie evidence to support a case of murder or culpable homicide.