Johannesburg – Ten policemen appeared in the Tembisa Magistrates court on charges of murder and torture on Thursday following the death of a man they were questioning for theft, the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) said.
IPID spokesperson Grace Langa said they would remain in custody until September 1, 2015 and would have to submit reasons why they should be granted bail, as they were charged with a Section 5 offence.
The case relates to the death of Khuthazile Mbendu.
Langa said on December 4 the policemen were searching for a firearm which they could not find on him. They also wanted to know the location of four other alleged accomplices.
They decided to take him to the police station but on the way, they stopped and allegedly tortured him with a tazer shock device, beat him, and broke one of his legs.
When they arrived at the police station, the officers there did not want to book him in his condition, and he was taken to Tembisa Hospital.
He died on December 8, after four days in hospital.
Langa said the duty officer on the night he was taken to the police station reported the matter to IPID. The names of the policemen arrested were not immediately available.
The arrests come days after eight police officers were convicted for murder. This after Mozambican taxi driver Mido Macia was handcuffed to a police van and dragged.
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