Date set for inquest into death of Ford Kuga owner Reshall Jimmy

The family of Reshall Jimmy‚ who burnt to death in his Ford Kuga‚ are a step closer to learning why his luxury SUV inexplicably caught alight and finding closure.

In a notice issued to the Jimmy family on Thursday‚ the justice department revealed that an inquest into their brother and son's death would be held in February 2019 — more than three years after he died.

The family have been engaged in a relentless battle to get answers from Ford since December 2015 as to why his car caught alight.

Jimmy burnt to death while on holiday in the Wilderness in the Western Cape.

Since his car caught alight‚ more than 80 other Kugas caught fire on SA's roads‚ resulting in the global motoring giant having to recall over 4‚000 Kugas as part of several safety fixes to the vehicles.

Jimmy's sister‚ Renisha Jimmy‚ confirmed to TimesLIVE that the family had received a notice from the registrar of the Western Cape High Court that the inquest would be held on February 4.

"It states that the inquest will look into the circumstances and cause of my brother's death."

She said they were ecstatic at the news: "We are finally getting closer to the truth about Reshall's death."

She said that former state prosecutor Advocate Gerrie Nel‚ who is now a private prosecutor with Afriforum‚ had been instrumental in helping the family in their fight for an inquest into her brother's death.

"If it had not been for his pushing we would not have got this inquest date. We have been fighting with Ford for years to get them to tell us the truth about the fire. It has been a fight we as a family have never been prepared to give up on."

Nel's deputy‚ Andrew Leask‚ said they welcomed the developments. "We are happy that this process is now starting. It has been a very traumatic time for the family who have been desperate for closure."