By Levy Masiteng
The bail applications of three men accused of killing two Anti-Gang Unit police officers and two women in Reiger Park have been postponed to 8 September, when the Boksburg Magistrate’s Court is expected to continue hearing evidence and view CCTV footage central to the defence’s case.
Regan Cheslin Collis, 23, Jamal Meyer, 24, and Elvino Levert Crafford, 27, appeared together in the Boksburg Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday to apply for bail, which the State is opposing.
The three are accused in connection with the 7 August shooting in Reiger Park, Ekurhuleni, in which Anti-Gang Unit constables Thapelo Tlomatsana and Sphiwe Sibeko and civilians Roleen Lessing and Jaydin Magerman were killed.
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Much of Tuesday’s proceedings centred on the accused’s accounts of where they were when the shooting took place and the extent to which CCTV footage may support or contradict those versions.
The defence told the court that the accused had alibis, with Collis and Meyer relying in part on video footage which they said supported their claims that they were inside a property at the relevant time.
Defence lawyer Samkele Kuzani asked the court to consider the footage as part of the bail proceedings, saying that it could support the accused’s versions of events.
The State disputed the defence’s interpretation of the available footage. Prosecutor Matthews Rampyapedi argued that footage showing activity inside a yard at a particular time did not necessarily establish what was happening outside the property or on the street.
The State has opposed bail on several grounds, including the seriousness of the charges, concerns about community safety and the risk of interference with witnesses. Prosecutors have also raised allegations relating to gang activity and the possibility of further violence should the accused be released.
Police have recovered two SAPS R5 rifles during the investigation at the KwaDukathole informal settlement in Germiston. The State alleges that the two slain officers were robbed of their service rifles during the attack.
Crafford, who was the third suspect arrested in connection with the case, first appeared in court on 21 August before his matter was postponed so that he could join Collis and Meyer for the formal bail proceedings.
The three face charges including four counts of murder, attempted murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances and the unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition.
The investigation remains under way, and police have previously said that further arrests are possible.
