Meghan Cremer murder accused allegedly tried to sell her car hours after her death

On day four of the Meghan Cremer murder trial in Cape Town, the state called Abraham Fransman, a resident of Egoli informal settlement close to the farm where the avid horse rider rented a cottage.

Fransman was captured on CCTV footage attempting to draw money from Cremer’s bank account the day after she was murdered.

Cremer, 29, disappeared after 5pm on Saturday August 3 2019, when the state alleges Jeremy Sias, a farm labourer at the time, entered her cottage, strangled her and disposed of her body nearby. Sias then drove around in Cremer’s car with his friends and partied at venues nearby.

Fransman testified that Sias had come to his place of work at 2am on Sunday August 4 and attempted to sell Cremer’s white Toyota Auris to him.

“I told him if he did not have the ‘papers’ for the vehicle he would not get a lot of money for it. Sias replied that he didn’t care, he just wanted to get rid of the car,” said Fransman.

He referred Sias to a neighbour, Charles Daniels, who he said may know people to sell a vehicle to. Daniels was caught by police in possession of the car on August 8 with a friend, Shiraaj Jaftha.

At 1pm on August 4, Sias gave Fransman a bank card and a pin code and asked him to draw money. Fransman was captured on camera attempting to withdraw money from Cremer’s account later that day.

Fransman said he assisted many people in the community and withdrew money for pensioners who asked him to, using their ATM cards. However, that was the first time Sias asked him to withdraw cash for him.

Upon cross-examination by Sias’s lawyer Bashir Sibda, it was alleged that Daniels referred Sias to Fransman as he was the man to go to if one wanted to sell a vehicle. Fransman denied this.

“Wasn’t it strange that Sias contacted you at that time to come sell a car he got that day?” asked Sibda.

“It was strange,” replied Fransman. “But I did not suspect him because he is not a boy like that.”

“I put it to you that when the car was brought to you, you knew it was a stolen car and you knew the cards were stolen when you drew money from them,” said Sibda.

“No, I didn’t think Sias was the type of guy who could steal a vehicle. For him to have such a nice car was strange, but I couldn’t judge him. I trusted Sias. I am not saying I am a good person, but I’m speaking the truth. I didn’t think Sias stole anything,” said Fransman.

The case continues.

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