City to take taxi man’s body home

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Video footage shows police dragging taxi driver Mido Macia behind a police van.

Johannesburg - The city of Ekurhuleni will help in transporting the body of Mozambican taxi driver Emidio Macia home, a spokesman said on Tuesday.

“We have engaged with the family and after listening to their grievances, we have concluded that as a humanitarian gesture the city cannot just fold arms when there is a family in distress in the area,” Zweli Dlamini said.

“We have therefore decided to facilitate and assist in the transportation and burial of the deceased through the mayoral discretionary funds.”

Macia's body would be taken to Matola, Mozambique, on Friday.

Macia, 27, was tied to the back of a police van and dragged along a street in Daveyton on February 26. An eyewitness filmed the assault.

He was found dead in the local police station's holding cells several hours later. A post mortem revealed he had died of head and internal injuries.

Eight policemen have since been arrested in connection with his death and will appear in the Benoni Magistrate's Court again on Friday.

Dlamini said the municipality appreciated the understanding of Daveyton residents.

“In some instances there would have been serious violence as a result of such an incident, but the community here has been protesting in a dignified manner - something which is commendable,” Dlamini said.

The home affairs department on Tuesday confirmed it had handed Macia's death certificate and travel documents to his family.

“The documents were handed over to members of the bereaved family who visited our offices in the East Rand on Monday,” spokesman Ronnie Mamoepa said in a statement.

He said the papers were necessary to enable the family to travel across the border to Mozambique for Macia's funeral this weekend.

“In addition, the department will also be providing members of his taxi association, who may wish to travel to Mozambique for the funeral, with the necessary travel documents.” - Sapa