On 26 February 2013, Mido Macia, a 27-year old Mozambican immigrant, was murdered by eight police officers in the custody of the

South African Police Service The South African Police Service (SAPS) is the national police force of the Republic of South Africa. Its 1,154 police stations in South Africa are divided according to the Provinces of South Africa, provincial borders, and a Provincial Commis ...

. He was dragged by a police vehicle in the

township A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...

Daveyton Daveyton is a township (South Africa), township in the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality of Gauteng in South Africa. It borders Etwatwa to the north-east, Springs, Gauteng, Springs to the south and Benoni, Gauteng, Benoni to the south-west. The ...

Gauteng Gauteng ( , ; Sotho-Tswana languages, Sotho-Tswana for 'place of gold'; or ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. Situated on the Highveld, Gauteng is the smallest province by land area in South Africa. Although Gauteng accounts f ...

, South Africa, a few hours earlier. A crowd witnessed the dragging incident, one of whom filmed it. Police said Macia had caused a traffic jam and then resisted arrest. On 25 August 2015, eight former police officers were found guilty of Macia's

murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse committed with the necessary Intention (criminal law), intention as defined by the law in a specific jurisd ...

in the

North Gauteng High Court The Gauteng Division of the High Court of South Africa is a superior court of law which has general jurisdiction over the South African province of Gauteng and the eastern part of North West province. The main seat of the division is at Pretoria, ...

Victim

Emidio Josias "Mido" Macia (c. 1985 – 26 February 2013) was a Mozambican immigrant and taxi driver who was murdered in the custody of the

. Mido Macia spent the first ten years of his life in

Matola Matola is the largest suburb of the Mozambique capital, Maputo, adjacent to its westernmost side. It is the nation's most populated city. Matola is the capital of Maputo Province and has had its own elected municipal government since 1998. It ...

, Mozambique. He came to South Africa seventeen years before his death. He had a wife and child and was also the legal guardian of his late brother's three children. He was described by the chair of the Benoni Taxi Association as "a very humble guy".

Murder

According to the police, Macia had parked illegally, causing a traffic jam, and then resisted arrest. A preliminary

post-mortem An autopsy (also referred to as post-mortem examination, obduction, necropsy, or autopsia cadaverum) is a surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse by dissection to determine the cause, mode, and manner of death ...

report released by South Africa's Independent Police Investigative Directorate indicated that Macia had died in police detention with head injuries and internal bleeding. He had been dragged behind a police van, after having been handcuffed to its rear, for about 500 metres. The eight police officers involved were suspended on 28 February and arrested the following day on suspicion of murder. They were remanded on 12 March. Originally scheduled for court Monday, 4 March 2013, the defendants did not appear, and court was cleared. The hearing was rescheduled pending an

identity parade A police lineup (in American English) or identity parade (in British English) is a process by which a crime victim or witness's putative identification of a suspect is confirmed to a level that can count as evidence at trial. The suspect, along ...

. On 12 March, they were all denied bail, partly for their own protection. At this hearing, it was suggested by the prosecution that Macia had died from being beaten once inside the police station. On 25 August 2015, all eight former police officers were found guilty of

in the

. They were each sentenced to 15 years in prison.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Macia, Mido Deaths by person in South Africa 2013 in South Africa Deaths in police custody in South Africa Violent deaths in South Africa Victims of police brutality 1980s births 2013 deaths Killings by law enforcement officers in South Africa Filmed killings by law enforcement 2013 murders in South Africa History of the East Rand February 2013 in South Africa February 2013 crimes in Africa Murders by law enforcement officers Police brutality in South Africa

Victim

Murder

See also

References