In Strange SA-Expat Story, Diplomat Sought for Drunk Driving in Fiji Dies

A bizarre story involving two South Africans on the tiny South Pacific island-nation of Fiji – a diplomat reportedly involved in a fatal drunken-driving accident and the chief of police – has taken a new turn after the death of the diplomat.

A Department of International Relations and Cooperation spokesman in Pretoria was reported as saying this week that the diplomat, Theo Mostert, has died, but would not disclose the cause of death. He was 59.

In October 2015 Mostert was allegedly involved in a fatal collision in Fiji. As reported in the Fiji Sun, 26-year-old Ashneel Singh was hit from the front at around 10.30pm while travelling towards Suva, the capital of Fiji. He was rushed to hospital, but later died.

The driver of the car which hit him was allegedly Mostert, the First Secretary at the South African Embassy. The diplomat was reported to be under the influence of alcohol on the evening of the accident, and according to then Police Commissioner Brigadier General Bernadus Groenewald, Mostert was subjected to a breathalyser test.

Groenewald – also a South African – instructed that Mostert be released under the Vienna Convention, which states diplomats have immunity from arrest, detention and police questioning in the country in which they are serving.

Mostert left Fiji soon after the accident, whilst Fiji’s Director of Public Prosecutions received a complaint against Groenewald relating to the release. However on 16 October 2015 the director dismissed the complaint for having no substance, and said that Groenewald was “well within his constitutional powers” and had “acted appropriately and professionally in the circumstances and there is no evidence whatsoever of any criminal wrongdoing”.

Singh’s family has reportedly sought compensation from the South African government, but by mid-January had still not received any feedback according to reports which also claimed an ongoing extradition “stand-off” between the two countries over Mostert.

In November Groenewald resigned as Police Chief, for apparently unrelated reasons. Radio New Zealand reported him saying he was not happy with the way in which the military were interfering in police matters in Fiji. Australian news reported he would be returning to South Africa.

In a separate incident, a month before the fatal accident, it was reported in a Fiji newspaper that Mostert had been attacked by three men as he was entering his property after returning from dinner.

And in May 2015, Groenewald had been hailed as a hero by the people of Fiji after he confronted five balaclava-wearing thugs in a Suva restaurant, whilst off-duty and armed only with a chair.

Our condolences to the family and friends of Theo Mostert.

WATCH VIDEO: Former Commissioner of Police Ben Groenewald

Archive footage of Ben Groenewald during his tenure as Chief of Police in Fiji.