Danielle van Jaarsveld: George car dealer finally in court for deadly crash in Sedgefield

GARDEN ROUTE NEWS - More than three years after a devastating crash claimed the life of a young woman in Sedgefield, the man accused of causing it has quietly appeared in court, but the family left behind was not told.

For Danielle van Jaarsveld’s (41) loved ones, the long wait for justice has been marked not only by grief, but by frustration, as they continue to fight to be seen and heard in a process they say has repeatedly failed them.

Gareth Webster, the man accused of causing the crash that killed Van Jaarsveld, appeared in the George Magistrate's Court on Wednesday 14 January on a charge of culpable homicide. The appearance, however, took place without the knowledge of the victim’s family, after the National Prosecuting Authority allegedly failed to inform them.

Van Jaarsveld died on 6 November 2022, after the Kia sedan she was driving was involved in a head-on collision with an Audi SQ5 performance SUV on Swartvlei Beach Road, near the Sedge Links Golf Course in Sedgefield. Webster, a car salesman at Audi Centre George, was allegedly driving the Audi at the time, having attended a golf day at the nearby course.

According to surveillance footage, the impact of the collision was so severe that Van Jaarsveld’s vehicle was propelled backwards in the direction it had been travelling before rolling several times and coming to rest on the side of the road. The Audi SQ5 involved in the crash belonged to Webster’s employer.

Van Jaarsveld died on the way to the hospital. Her passenger, Monique van Zyl, her sister-in-law, sustained serious injuries. The two were reportedly on their way to the beach.

Webster and his passenger, who had also attended the golf day, were not seriously injured.

In their pursuit of justice, Van Jaarsveld’s family approached AfriForum’s Private Prosecution Unit, whose involvement led to the matter being fully investigated and formally enrolled. Despite this, the family says they were denied the opportunity to be present when the case finally reached court.

According to the unit's spokesperson, Barry Batemean, they wrote to the NPA requesting confirmation of when the accused would be summoned on 14 November 2025. In the letter, the unit stated that it intended to attend the proceedings and was considering applying to record them.

Neither the unit nor the family received any notification of Webster’s court appearance. It was only after an enquiry was made to the NPA on 20 January that the George office confirmed the accused had appeared in court a week earlier.

“The NPA describes itself as the lawyers for the people, yet its prosecutors consistently fail in their duty to be victim-focused,” Bateman said.

“Danielle’s family has been pleading with the NPA to prosecute the case. It took more than a year just to decide which court should hear the matter. And when the accused is finally summoned, the family is completely left out. It is difficult not to conclude that this was more than a simple oversight.”Bateman said the family would attend court at the next appearance and confirmed that AfriForum’s Private Prosecution Unit would continue to support them.

The case was postponed to 10 February.

A media enquiry has been sent to the NPA for comment. Any feedback will be added to this article.

Gareth Webster. Photo: X / Barry Bateman

The wreck of Van Jaarsveld's car.

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