Six policemen have been arrested in connection with the killing of Andries Tatane who was beaten to death during a service delivery protest in Ficksburg, the Independent Complaints Directorate (ICD) said on Sunday.
The six men, arrested on Saturday, were from the public order police unit in Bloemfontein, ICD spokesman Moses Dlamini said.
Four of the men were being charged with assault and two with murder.
ICD executive director Francois Beukman told SABC news on Sunday that this type of police brutality could not be tolerated.
Police allegedly fired rubber bullets into Tatane's chest and then beat him with batons on Thursday.
Tatane was allegedly attacked by at least six policemen “simultaneously”, according to media reports.
He was seen holding his hand against his chest after the assault and collapsed about 20 minutes later. He died before an ambulance arrived. The police confirmed on Wednesday that a man had been killed during the protest.
The residents of Meqheleng township were marching to the Ficksburg municipal offices to hand over a memorandum relating to service delivery issues when the incident took place. - Sapa