Cape Town - The head of the City’s Safety and Security Investigation Unit (SSIU), Reynold Talmakkies, has landed in trouble after he was found to have breached security protocols in the Mitchells Plain Regional Court, where his son is on trial for murder.
A shocking judgment handed down this week revealed that a magistrate recused herself from presiding over the case after she was approached and told that he was “heading a certain section of the police department” and that he was the father of the accused.
Talmakkies’ son David, along with Garth Lamb, was arrested for the murder of Cape Town rapper Chad du Plessis, who died after he was attacked outside his brother’s house in Strandfontein just after midnight on December 5, 2020.
The 22-year-old was about to pull into the driveway when he was approached by five unidentified men and an argument followed, ending with Du Plessis being fatally stabbed.
At the time, Du Plessis was a member of Beeza CPT, a band of three brothers who had just released a mixtape called Definition of a Rockstar.
According to the judgment, the trial being heard in Mitchells Plain Regional Court was brought to a halt in September last year when the magistrate revealed that Talmakkies had approached her.
“On getting out of the courtroom on my way to the garage for my vehicle, an unfortunate event took place. Having exited the stairs and the door towards my motor vehicle, I was approached by a gentleman from behind. It appeared that gentleman was one of the members of the public that was here in court. He tried informing me who he was and that he used to work with us here in this court as a senior police officer.”
The magistrate said that as the conversation went on he revealed he was the father of the accused and she cut the conversation short.
She later recused herself from the trial and the matter was taken by the acting Regional Court president to the high court to seek a judgment for the magistrate to continue with the case.
While the high court judges ruled that the magistrate should not have recused herself, the judges highlighted the security breach, saying: “An unauthorised member of the public was able to easily access a magistrate. This situation which the magistrate was confronted with should never have happened in the first place. Clearly, presiding officers should never be placed in a position that would compromise their safety and security. It is undeniable that the breach of security really placed the magistrate in a very precarious position.”
The judges further said court management should take corrective measures to address the security breach.
Du Plessis’ father, Colin, said the case has since stalled and revealed that their family witnessed the encounter.
“The case has been dragging ever since, as we were waiting for judgment from the high court. We saw him talking to her.”
City spokesperson Luthando Tyhalibongo said: “The City has become aware of the judgment handed down in the Western Cape High Court yesterday, and is considering its options.”
Several attempts were made to get comment from Talmakkies, but he did not respond to requests for comment.
