Officer denies intentionally trying to harm taxi driver Macia

PRETORIA: One of the eight Gauteng former police officers on trial for the murder of Mozambican taxi driver Mido Macia told the high court in Pretoria yesterday that he had no ill intentions.

Under cross-examination by prosecutor Grace Mosetlha, former policeman Thamsanqa Ngema insisted that there was no intention on his part to harm the Mozambican.

“You intentionally dragged him from the scene. You had intentions to harm him, to cause injury to him,” said Mosetlha.

Ngema responded: “God knows, it’s not like that. I didn’t have any intention to harm him.

“I was saving him during the dragging.”

Ngema is one of the two police officers seen in video footage holding Macia’s legs, but dropping them as the marked SAPS vehicle gained speed, dragging Macia behind it.

The other seven former police officers – Bongamusa Mdluli, Meshack Malele, Percy Mnisi, Sipho Ngobeni, Lungisa Gwababa, Bongani Kolisi and Linda Sololo – listened intently from the dock as Ngema testified.

They are all out on bail and were all dismissed from the SAPS following a disciplinary hearing.

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 vehicle. He resisted, trying to get out of the vehicle.

According to the accused, one of Macia’s handcuffs became entangled on to the leg of a bench in the back of the van when he fell out of the van.

The accused claimed he was dragged along the street of Daveyton to the local police station by mistake.

Yesterday, Judge Bert Bam asked Ngema to explain whether the SAPS memberswere entitled to arrest Macia for a traffic violation. Ngema responded by saying no. Mosetlha told the court that the police officers were aiming “to make a joke out of the deceased”.

She said after dragging him and injuring him, the former police officers assaulted Macia inside the police station.

Ngema denied Mosetlha’s assertions.

Macia was later found dead in the Daveyton police station’s holding cells on February 26, 2013.

The incident made international headlines after cellphone footage of the dragging went viral, sparking several protests against police brutality.

Nine former policemen were initially charged, but Matome Ramatlou was acquitted this week. Bam said there was no evidence linking him to the murder. – ANA