Murder conviction for South African police who dragged man

Eight former police officers are in the dock, facing murder charging for killing the Mozambican taxi driver on February 26, 2013.

Macia was being unlawfully arrested and detained for a minor traffic violation, said Bam, and was therefore entitled to resist arrest.

“As a family, we are not doing well”.

Taxi driver Mr Macia, 27, died after being tied and dragged behind a police van near Johannesburg in an incident recorded on video by a bystander. He paid for school fees and other things.

She said she hoped the court slapped the former policemen with lengthy sentences, saying she hoped she would “never to see the accused outside again”.

“The accused must rise now”.

The convicted police officers are Bongamusa Mdluli‚ Meshack Malele‚ Thamsanqa Ngema‚ Percy Mnisi‚ Sipho Ngobeni‚ Lungisa Gwababa‚ Bongani Kolisi and Linda Sololo. “Accused number one to eight, you’re convicted of murder”.

“The accused are remanded in custody until Tuesday, 22 September for sentencing”, Judge Bam ruled on Tuesday.

The eight had been on bail during the trial.

When it came to the assault in the police cells, which the National Prosecuting Authority used to support the murder charge, Bam found that even though there was no eyewitness, evidence showed that the assault did take place.

“Dragging the deceased was intentional, as was tying him to the back, because that was the only way they could manage to arrest him”.

The judge found that the state had proved without reasonable doubt that Macia died from injuries sustained when he was handcuffed at the back of the police van and dragged behind for about 200 meters‚ and from injuries sustained when he was assaulted by the accused in the cells. They claimed he was dragged along the streets in Daveyton to the local police station by mistake.

Ngamlana was on duty at the Daveyton police station and was in charge of the cells when Macia was brought in.

The footage was widely shared and Pretoria police held a conference in the following days in the midst of protests from residents.