Pretoria - Judge Bert Bam has found eight former police officers guilty of murdering Mozambican taxi driver Mido Macia.
Bam delivered his judgment in the High Court in Pretoria on Tuesday.
Macia was dragged behind a police van in February 2013. He was later found dead in the Daveyton police station’s holding cells.
Bongamusa Mdluli, Meshack Malele, Thamsanqa Ngema, Percy Mnisi, Sipho Ngobeni, Lungisa Gwababa, Bongani Kolisi and Linda Sololo were all dismissed from the SA Police Service following a disciplinary hearing.
On Tuesday Bam convicted the eight accused on the doctrine of common purpose. He said they should have foreseen that Macia could have died when he was dragged behind the police van for 200m, yet they did nothing to help him.
He also found that Macia was severely assaulted in the police cells.
The judge rejected the evidence of the accused that they were not aware that he was being dragged
Their evidence that he must have injured himself later in the cell, resulting in him dying in a pool of blood, was also rejected by the judge.
Earlier this month, a ninth former police officer, initially charged with the group, was acquitted by the court. Matome Ramatlou walked out of the court a free man after Bam told him that there was no evidence linking him to the murder.
Macia was approached by members of the police on the afternoon of the incident in February 2013, after he illegally parked his taxi and caused a traffic jam.
An altercation between him and the police ensued and they tried to place him in the back of a police van.
According to the former police offcers , one of Macia's handcuffs became entangled to the leg of a bench in the back of the van when he fell out of the van.
They claimed he was dragged along the street of Daveyton to the local police station by mistake.
However, the State claimed the accused were well aware of the fact he was being dragged behind the van.
The incident made international headlines and sparked several protests against police brutality.
The parties will decide at 2pm on the way forward.
Macia's sister, Melita Macia, meanwhile said she will never forgive the accused.
ANA and Pretoria News