Cop brutality not taken seriously, says DA

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The Independent Police Directorate (Ipid) is investigating the death of a man who, according to cellphone footage, was dragged for about 400m behind a police van. Screengrab: YouTube

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 Johannesburg - The Democratic Alliance on Friday accused national police commissioner Riah Phiyega of not taking police brutality seriously.

“We need to tackle the causes of police brutality, not just the symptoms,” DA spokeswoman Dianne Kohler-Barnard said in a statement.

Phiyega said earlier on Friday in Pretoria, that eight Daveyton police officers had been suspended and the station commander removed after a taxi driver was allegedly tied to and dragged behind a police van.

Mido Macia, 27, a Mozambican national, was dragged along a Daveyton street on the East Rand on Tuesday.

An eyewitness filmed the incident.

Macia died in the local police station's cells later that day.

“We are... outraged with what happened,” Phiyega told reporters.

Kohler-Barnard said her party would ask Phiyega why two of the officers involved in Macia's death were suspended instead of arrested.

“She must urgently present a detailed plan of action to the South African public as to how she will turn around what today looks like a police force rather than a police service,” she said.

“South Africa has seen numerous high profile incidents of police brutality and use of excessive force over the last five years - from Andries Tatane to Marikana - and now, the latest incident of the horrific death of Mido Macia.”

Phiyega could not continue pretending there was no problem within the police service, she said. - Sapa