Mitchells Plain professional football star Morne Nel, who was arrested on a charge of culpable homicide, made his first appearance in court on Thursday.
Nel, 27, who plays for Cape Town Spurs, made a lengthy appearance in the Mitchells Plain Magistrate’s Court where the merits of the case were highlighted.
Nel is accused of reckless and negligent driving which led to the death of a 55-year-old male driver of another vehicle in 2019, and then fleeing the scene.
The incident occurred on Highlands Drive in New Woodlands. According to a witness, Nel allegedly had alcohol in his car.
Nel handed himself over to police last month, after nearly five years, but never appeared in court until yesterday.
In court, Nel’s private attorney, Mr De Villiers, came on record as his legal counsel.
The accused stood tall in the dock as the State revealed its investigation had been completed and that Nel had a case to answer for.
According to court documents, Nel was driving a VW Golf 7 GTI during the crash.
The documents stated that Nel is accused of being the driver of the Golf, and wrongfully and negligently causing or contributing to the victim's death.
Before the matter stood down, Nel was given a lengthy explanation on how the law and court system works by Magistrate Yusuf Kamedien.
Kamedien informed Nel by using “soccer terms” like penalty shootouts and referencing past soccer matches that the State put forth the evidence and it is up to his defence to argue his case and that he could be found guilty without any reasonable doubt.
The Magistrate also advised the soccer star to “gooi a low profile” while the court case continue.
The matter was remanded to 5 July 2024 for the State to provide the defence with further particulars in order to consult with the accused and address the court on the way forward.
Nel, who was surrounded by family and friends at court, declined to comment on the case.
The warm midfielder made headlines a year ago when he signed a three-year contract with the Urban Warriors.
He also played for teams like SuperSport United and was tipped for an outstanding career when he attracted the interest of English Premier league side Tottenham Hotspur as a teenager.
Meanwhile, Cape Town Spurs spokesman Thabiso “Shooz” Mekuto, said he couldn’t comment on Nel’s court case as it was a “personal matter”.
He says: “It's off season for us right now. We can't comment about personal issues.”
byron.lukas@inl.co.za