Four men expected to learn bail fate in Reiger Park murder case

Four men accused in the Reiger Park shooting that killed two police officers and two women are expected to appear at the Boksburg Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday to hear whether they will be granted bail.

Who is charged

The accused are Reagan Cheslin Collis, 23; Jamal Meyer, 24; Elvino Levert Crafford, 27; and Mcfoolen Ford, 26. They face murder and robbery with aggravating circumstances charges, and charges under the Firearms Control Act.

Background of the case

The charges arise from a shooting on August 7 in Reiger Park that killed Gauteng Anti‑Gang Unit officers Constables Thapelo Tlomatsana, 29, and Sphiwe Sibeko, 28, and civilians Roleen Lessing and Jaydin Margerman.

Court proceedings so far

The four last appeared in court on September 9, when the bail proceedings were postponed. Ford appeared separately on Monday and his matter was postponed to Wednesday, when he is expected to make a formal bail application alongside the other three men.

State’s case and defence challenges

During earlier bail hearings, prosecutor Matthews Rampyapedi told the court the shooting allegedly followed an earlier attempt on the life of a rival gang member and said members of a rival gang returned to Reiger Park to retaliate.

“This incident happened because there was an earlier attempt on the life of a rival gang,” Rampyapedi said.

Rampyapedi told the court the State had CCTV footage showing the accused men’s movements and alleged roles before and during the killings. He also said a witness had identified Collis and Meyer and described their alleged roles.

Defence lawyer Samkele Kuzani played video clips in court to support Collis’ claim that he was at home with friends when the shooting took place. Kuzani argued the State’s case was weak and said there was no eyewitness who saw Collis fire a weapon.

Allegations not tested in court

The court heard competing contentions about the CCTV material: the defence played clips it said supported Collis’ alibi, while the prosecutor said the original CCTV recordings had been sent to the forensic science laboratory for analysis and questioned the evidentiary value of the clips played in court.

Additional allegations reported by IOL

According to IOL, a source familiar with the investigation had questioned whether Collis was the shooter and alleged that another man shot the two women before fleeing in a silver‑grey Volkswagen Polo.

According to IOL, it was also alleged that Collis and his associates had a longstanding rivalry with the Sour Boys gang and had received threats hours before the shooting.

Next steps

The four accused are expected to appear at the Boksburg Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday for the ongoing bail process.