Ford lets God do dirty work

Ford has turned to God in a move the Jimmy family see as a bid to silence them.

The family have been waging a social media onslaught against the car manufacturing giant since Reshall Jimmy burnt to death in December 2015 in his Ford Kuga SUV.

Since his death over 50 Kugas have caught alight in South Africa.

Reshall's sister Renisha said that outgoing Ford CEO Jeffrey Nemeth requested that she and her ailing mother, Polly, attend a meeting that was overseen by Anglican Archbishop Thabo Makgoba.

The meeting was held on Friday.

Makgoba said his "pastoral obligations" prevented him from commenting unless the family gave him permission.

It is not known why Nemeth asked the Anglican Church to oversee the meeting when the Jimmy family is Hindu.

Renisha said: "My mother was reluctant, but the family persuaded her in the belief that Nemeth wanted to take responsibility for Reshall's death."

She said leading up to the meeting Nemeth had told her that he was travelling to the US to seek a mandate to settle the matter.

The Times is in possession of WhatsApp messages from Nemeth in which he said he "would be judged by my actions, my ethics and intent by my God''.

Renisha said Nemeth had traumatised her mother through accusations that Reshall was murdered.

"Initially, he seemed genuine, but it changed when he told us they had information Reshall was murdered and they had witness statements which contradicted the postmortem report."

Renisha said Nemeth's settlement offer was to give the family another Ford and pay off the money Reshall still owed on his car.

"From what he told us, the lies that Reshall was murdered, and Ford's settlement offer, it was just an insult. He used his religion and God to manipulate us," she said.