Johannesburg - Nine policemen appeared in court on Friday accused of dragging a Mozambican immigrant behind their police van and then brutally beating him to death.
Mido Macia, a 27-year-old taxi driver, died in police custody on February 26, after parking his taxi on the wrong side of the road.
The eight officers initially arrested for his death are Meshack Malele, 45, Thamsanqa Ncema, 35, Percy Mnisi, 26, Bongumusa Mdluli, 25, Sipho Ngobeni, 30, Lungisa Ewababa, 31, Bongani Kolisi, 27, and Linda Sololo, 56.
A ninth police officer was arrested on Friday, the Benoni Magistrate's Court heard.
Bystanders filmed Macia being manhandled, handcuffed to the back of a police van and dragged hundreds of metres to the Daveyton police station.
Just over two hours later he was found dead in his cell.
Footage of the incident spread quickly online, shining a spotlight yet again on the conduct of SA's much maligned police force.
The court was told on Friday that Macia suffered extensive injuries, culminating in hypoxia - a lack of oxygen supply to the body - causing his death.
According to a report by pathologist Reggie Perumal, Macia had extensive abrasions on his face, limbs and body, deep cuts on his forearms and wrists and “almost full thickness lacerations of the head”.
He also had bruised ribs, back, left and right testes, lips and bite marks on his tongue as well as bleeding and water on the brain.
The nine huddled together on the accused's bench, some dressed in suits, others in casual clothes.
Some chewed gum, looked down while others occasionally shot a furtive smile.
The State has opposed bail.
Prosecutor December Mthimunye said the State opposed bail, but agreed with the defence that the crime was a schedule five offence.
Magistrate Sam Makamu adjourned the court shortly afterwards to deal with the question of media attendance.
“I am fully aware that this case is of national interest and that not all media were allowed in,” he said.
Makamu said broadcast media would have to apply for permission to cover proceedings and needed a lawyer to do so.
“We cannot proceed without an application from the media.”
The magistrate said proceedings would resume later in the day, as soon the application from broadcast media had been dealt with.
On Wednesday around 1 000 people attended a memorial for Macia at the sports stadium in Daveyton. He is due to be buried outside the Mozambican capital of Maputo on Saturday. - AFP, Sapa