The family of Reshell Jimmy, who burned to death in his Ford Kuga in December 2015, will be taking on motor manufaturing giant Ford themselves after the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) declined to prosecute.
NPA Western Cape regional spokesman Eric Ntabazalila said that the decision not to prosecute was taken as a result of a “lack of evidence which would ensure a successful prosecution”.
The family said that they were disappointed by the decision, as they had been led to believe that there would be an inquest into Reshell’s death.
“Our last resort for justice was the NPA, who gave us the impression that they were going to provide us with a date for an inquest. They indicated they would subpoena people to appear before the inquest,” Reshell’s sister Renisha Jimmy said.
Renshell died after his car caught fire while he was on holiday in Knysna. Since then, 62 other Ford Kugas have caught fire across the country. Ford said that the fires were caused by a faulty engine coolant system and requested that owners bring their cars in for repairs.
The family has questioned the motive behind the NPA’s decision not to prosecute Ford.
In the meantime, the National Consumer Commission is investigating Ford SA, The Times reports.