The three men accused of killing four people in Reiger Park have placed their alleged whereabouts at the heart of their bail applications. Regan Cheslin Collis, Jamal Meyer and Elvino Levert Crafford told the Boksburg Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, 25 August 2026, that they were not at the scene when the shooting occurred. The state is opposing their release on bail.
The accused face four murder charges, as well as attempted murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances and unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition. The charges stem from the 7 August shooting in Reiger Park, Ekurhuleni, in which Anti-Gang Unit officers Constables Thapelo Tlomatsana and Sphiwe Sibeko were killed alongside Roleen Lessing and Jaydin Margerman. Their formal bail proceedings are expected to continue after the court postponed the matter.
Collis told the court that he was at home with friends when the shooting took place. He said they were eating and sitting outside the house but remained inside the property, while three video recordings from the premises could support his version.
Reiger Park Murder Accused Put Alibis Before Court
The Reiger Park murder accused each gave the court an account placing them away from the crime scene. Collis said he had an alibi and argued that this weakened the state’s case against him. “I have a defence of alibi and this makes the state’s case very weak against me,” he said.
Collis also told the court: “It is practically impossible for me to kill two well-trained police officers and two females.” He said that after hearing about the shooting, he went outside and attempted to assist people in a Volkswagen Polo Vivo.
“I had no firearm in my possession. The motor vehicle in which the two women were driving was rolling,” Collis said. “I had to assist them. In all honesty, if I had shot them, I would not see the need to help them.”
Meyer similarly told the court that he was at home when the shooting occurred and only went to the area afterwards. Crafford also maintained that he had been at home with his son and mother and was not at the crime scene.
The three men told the court that they could each afford bail of R2 000.
Reiger Park Shooting Accused Allege Police Torture
The Reiger Park shooting case also took a dramatic turn when Collis made allegations about his treatment following his arrest. He claimed police officers at Germiston Police Station attempted to force him to confess to the killings. He alleged that officers covered his head with plastic while demanding that he admit to the crime.
“They put plastic over my head, said I must confess to the crime. This happened for more than three hours,” Collis told the court. He further alleged that he was tightly handcuffed and lying on his stomach during the incident.
Collis claimed that police officers recorded what happened. “I was sure I was dying from this torture,” he said, adding that he eventually told police he had killed the victims before later retracting the statement.
Collis also addressed what he described as his portrayal as a gangster and dangerous person in Reiger Park. “I have been painted and described as a gangster in Reiger Park and a dangerous person. I have never been convicted by a court of law in South Africa for being violent or a killer.”
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Although Collis has no previous convictions, he told the court that he currently has three criminal matters pending against him. He said all three cases were at trial stage and that he had been released on bail in each matter, with conditions including reporting to a police station.
“I have never tried to run away from these cases,” he said.
Reiger Park CCTV Footage At Centre Of Bail Dispute
The Reiger Park CCTV footage is expected to play a key role when the bail proceedings resume. Defence lawyer Kuzani argued that recordings from the property where the accused claim they were could help test their versions of events. The defence wants the footage played in court during the bail application.
Kuzani also suggested that the evidence could raise the possibility that the wrong people had been arrested. “We might be having the wrong people before this honourable court and the real culprit is still looming and running loose,” he said.
The state has challenged the defence’s reliance on the CCTV footage. Prosecutor Matthews Rampyapedi told the court that the state did not dispute that Crafford might have an alibi for 7 August, but alleged that one of the accused was involved in events connected to the killings the following day.
Rampyapedi further argued that the footage provided to the state was limited and did not show everything that happened outside the property. “It just reflects inside the yard at a specific time. It does not show what happened entirely on the street,” he said.
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The Reiger Park bail application has been postponed to 8 September 2026. The CCTV footage is expected to be viewed when proceedings resume, as the court considers the accused’s versions and the state’s objections to bail.
