Cape Town - A star soccer player from Mitchells Plain charged with culpable homicide appeared in court on Thursday where he was advised to “keep a low profile” as the case unfolds.
Morné Nel, 27, who plays professional soccer for Cape Town Spurs, made a lengthy appearance in the Mitchells Plain Magistrate’s Court in connection with the death of a 55-year-old motorist in 2019.
One of the few soccer players from Mitchells Plain to make it to the professional ranks, Nel is accused of reckless and negligent driving which led to the man’s death.
The incident is believed to have occurred in Highlands Drive in New Woodlands.
Earlier this week, it was reported that Nel had already appeared before court, however, on Thursday was his first appearance.
In court, Nel appointed a private attorney who came on record as his legal counsel.
As he stood tall in the accused’s bench, the State revealed that its investigation had been completed.
According to the charge sheet, Nel is believed to have been driving a Volkswagen Golf 7 GTI at the time of the crash.
The document says he is accused of wrongfully and negligently causing or contributing to the victim's death.
Before the matter stood down, magistrate Yusuf Kamedien explained to Nel how the law and court system worked, using soccer terms such as penalty shoot-outs and referencing past soccer matches.
The magistrate also advised the soccer star to “keep a low profile” while the court proceedings continued.
The matter was postponed to July 5 for the State to provide the defence with further details.
Nel was surrounded by family and friends at court.
He played for teams such as SuperSport United and was tipped for an outstanding career when he attracted the interest of other DStv Premiership clubs like Mamelodi Sundowns.
Cape Town Spurs team manager Thabisa “Shooz” Mekuto declined to comment on Nel’s case.
“It’s off-season for us right now. We can’t comment about personal Issues,” he said.