Daily Sun (August 14 2013) - COPS did everything possible to PROTECT Mozambican Mido Macia from getting injured! And a witness who said police assaulted Macia was "lying".
THIS WAS WHAT A SENIOR COP TOLD THE BENONI MAGISTRATES COURT YESTERDAY.
The death of Macia made world headlines in March after Daily Sun published a reader's horrifying video of Macia being manhandled, handcuffed to the back of a police van, and dragged hundreds of metres through the streets of Daveyton, Ekurhuleni. The nine cops accused of Macia's murder, who have been in custody for nearly six months, were granted bail of R5 000 each by Magistrate Sam Makamu at the end of yesterday's hearing.
Earlier one of the accused, Warrant Officer Meshack Malele, told the court when cops realised that Mido's legs were hanging outside the police van they lifted them up to avoid injuries. But the driver didn't see what was happening and drove away because people were stoning the van. Malele told the court he and a colleague had wanted to arrest Mido for obstructing traffic but he resisted.
"He resisted arrest and was violent. He managed to disarm me and I called for back-up," he said. Malele said they managed to overpower Mido. He admitted that Mido was not properly handcuffed because he was fighting with police before he was bundled into the back of the police van.
Said Malele: "He kicked the door open and when we tried to get him back inside one of the community members helped him to open the door. The driver decided to drive away and "that is when some cops lifted his legs to save him from injuries."