/ 4 January 2006

Cronje inquest to get under way ‘probably’ in February

The inquest into the cause of death of deceased national cricket captain Hansie Cronje is scheduled to be heard in Cape Town in a couple of months.

The matter would come before the court ”within the next two months, probably February,” said advocate Willem Tarantaal of the Directorate of Public Prosecutions.

Cronje died when the Hawker-Siddeley aircraft he was travelling in crashed into a cliff close to George airport nearly four years ago.

The Civil Aviation Authority reported last year that pilot error and instrument failure led to the crash, which also killed pilots Willie Meyer and Ian Noakes.

Tarantaal said the inquest would help determine if anyone was culpable for the deaths.

He said a number of witnesses could be subpoenaed by the presiding officer, Cape Town High Court Judge Siraj Desai.

He said the families of the deceased would be informed about the proceedings.

Tarantaal said the inquest had taken such a long time to convene because it was an aviation accident of a technical nature. – Sapa