Ruvan Olivier, who stands accused of causing the death of cyclist Nino Oppel, appeared in the Krugersdorp Regional Court on Wednesday April 13 on charges of culpable homicide, attempting to defeat the ends of justice, and many violations of the Road Traffic Act.

Magistrate Keith Page postponed the case until Friday, June 3 to allow for the investigation to be finalised.

This followed after AfriForum’s Private Prosecution Unit, which is assisting the Oppel family, made comprehensive representations to the Director of Public Prosecutions in Gauteng (DPP) after the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) initially indicated that they would not prosecute due to lack of a proper investigation.

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Oppel was participating in the popular Berge & Dale cycle race in Muldersdrift in 2018 when the accused allegedly hit him with his vehicle and sped away.

Micky Thesner, the prosecutor in the case, said in court that she had a meeting with the investigating team at AfriForum’s Private Prosecution Unit the day before and that the unit was assisting her with the investigation because the police had failed to allocate a detective to investigate the matter properly.

We welcome the fact that the accused finally had to appear in court and we will continue to assist the NPA to ensure that justice is served.

“The Oppel family deserve justice for Nino’s death and we will, in terms of our watching brief from the family, ensure that this case receives the necessary attention,” said Andrew Leaks, chief investigator at AfriForum’s Private Prosecution Unit.