CCTV footage that the defence says could support the alibis of three men accused of killing two police officers and two women in Reiger Park will be played in court when their formal bail proceedings resume next month.
The footage became a central issue in the Boksburg Magistrate’s Court this week as defence attorney Samkele Kuzani asked the magistrate to view recordings that he said could show where his clients were at the time of the August 7 shooting.
Reagan Cheslin Collis, 23, Jamal Meyer, 24, and Elvino Levert Crafford, 27, face charges arising from the attack in Reiger Park, Ekurhuleni, in which Anti-Gang Unit officers Constables Thapelo Tlomatsana, 29, and Sphiwe Sibeko, 28, were killed.
Civilians Roleen Lessing and Jaydin Margerman also died in the shooting.
Police have said the officers were carrying out crime-prevention patrols in the area when they heard gunshots. They allegedly drove towards the source of the shooting and were ambushed.
The State alleges that Collis, Meyer and Crafford were involved in the killings. The three men deny the allegations and have placed alibi defences before the court.
Defence Wants Footage Played
Kuzani told the court that the recordings were important because they could help establish the men’s whereabouts when the shootings occurred.
He said the footage would show that Collis was at home and that Meyer and Crafford were not at the scene.
“Your Worship, for the purposes of justice, I find it to be very prudent that those videos be played in court,” Kuzani said.
He argued that simply referring to CCTV footage in an affidavit was not enough if the court was not allowed to view the recordings itself.
“My main concern, Your Worship, is that only alleging on the affidavit that there is video footage and it is not played, it does not put my clients in a position which will be legally good, so to speak,” he said.
Kuzani said the footage could assist the court in assessing the three men’s versions of events and determining whether their alibis had merit.
“Let’s have it played. Let’s have the court making a decision,” he said.
The magistrate granted the application for the CCTV footage to be played in court. The formal bail proceedings were postponed to September 8, when the recordings are expected to be considered.
State Questions Value Of Recordings
State prosecutor Matthews Rampyapedi said the prosecution was not disputing that some of the accused had alibis for the night of the shooting.
He questioned, however, whether the footage would assist all three men and said the recordings provided to the State were limited.
According to Rampyapedi, the footage appeared to show only the inside of a yard at a particular time. He argued that it did not capture the full incident or the street where the shooting took place.
“It does not show what happened entirely on the street,” he said.
Rampyapedi said the footage had limited evidential value if it was the same recording referred to by the defence.
Regarding Crafford’s version, he told the court: “We don't deny that he has got an alibi for the seventh. We are not disputing that.”
The State’s position is that the existence of an alibi does not by itself resolve the allegations against the accused. The prosecution is expected to challenge the reliability and reach of the recordings as the bail application continues.
Three Men Give Their Versions
Collis’s affidavit stated that he was at home with friends when the shooting happened. He said they had been eating and sitting outside the house but remained inside the property.
He said three video recordings would support his version and described himself as wearing a white hat, maroon jersey and brown shoes in one of them.
“I have a defence of alibi and this makes the State's case very weak against me.”
Collis also said he went outside after the shooting and tried to assist people in a Volkswagen Polo Vivo.
“The motor vehicle in which the two women were driving was rolling. I had to assist them. In all honesty, I had not shot them. In all honesty, if I had shot them, I would not see the need to help them,” he said.
He said more than four witnesses could support his account and denied possessing a firearm or any other dangerous weapon.
“It would be very stupid of me to kill the police officers right in front of where I stay, knowing very well that there are cameras,” he said.
Meyer’s affidavit stated that he was at home when the shooting happened and only arrived at the scene later. Crafford similarly said that he was at home and was never at the scene.
Kuzani said all three men had alibis and that the CCTV recordings should be assessed directly by the court rather than through descriptions contained in affidavits.
The three accused face the same charges under the doctrine of common purpose, with the State alleging that they acted together in the commission of the crimes.
Collis Raises Torture Allegation
Collis also alleged that police tortured him for more than three hours in an attempt to force him to confess to the killings.
He said officers placed a plastic bag over his head while he was lying on his stomach and tightly handcuffed.
“They put plastic over my head, said I must confess to the crime. This happened for more than three hours,” he said.
“I was sure I was dying from this torture.”
Collis alleged that the incident was recorded on video. He said he eventually told investigators that he had killed the two officers and two women and implicated Meyer, but later withdrew the confession.
He said the confession was false and had been made because of the alleged assault.
“This is definitely not true,” he said.
The torture allegations have not been established in court. No finding has been made on whether the alleged confession was obtained unlawfully, and the issue may become relevant as the criminal case develops.
Pending Cases And Bail Bid
Collis told the court that he lived with his mother, grandmother and siblings. He is unemployed, has a five-month-old child and left school after Grade 9.
He said he intended to plead not guilty to the charges and argued that he should be released on bail because he posed no danger to the public.
He also said he would not interfere with witnesses or evidence and had a valid residential address.
Collis said he had no previous convictions but had several pending matters, including a murder case in the Boksburg Magistrate’s Court, two counts of attempted murder in the Boksburg Regional Court and two robbery charges in the same court.
He said he had been released on bail in those matters, had complied with his conditions and had never tried to avoid his trials. Some charges, he said, had also been withdrawn by the State.
Collis, Meyer and Crafford said they could each afford R2,000 bail.
A separate account based on CCTV viewed by a source has also raised questions about whether Collis was the shooter. The source alleged that another man, wearing a dark hoodie and red tracksuit trousers, shot the two women before fleeing in a silver-grey Volkswagen Polo.
The source further alleged that Collis was later seen confronting the man and saying: “I saw you.”
The same account referred to an alleged rivalry between Collis and his associates and a gang known as the Sour Boys, as well as alleged threats made before the shooting.
Those claims have not been tested in court and remain part of disputed accounts surrounding the case.
The CCTV footage is expected to be played on September 8, when the bail proceedings continue. The case remains before the Boksburg Magistrate’s Court.
