04 Mar
2013 | Tebogo Monama
THE Democratic Alliance has
called on President Jacob Zuma to open a judicial commission of inquiry into
police brutality following the death of Mozambican taxi driver Mido Macia.
ANGRY: DA
members with Mido Macia's friends and relatives at the scene of the attack.
PHOTO: ANTONIO MUCHAVE
Macia
died after he was assaulted and then dragged behind a police van in Daveyton on
the East Rand last week.
Postmortem
results show that he had died of head and internal injuries. The eight officers
who have been implicated in the incident have been suspended and are expected
to appear in the Daveyton Magistrate's Court today.
DA shadow
police minister Diane Kohler-Barnard visited the area yesterday and laid a
wreath on the spot where the 27-year-old Macia was attacked.
"There
should be a judicial inquiry into police brutality as a matter of urgency.
"We
are thankful that there was cellphone footage, otherwise this issue would have
been swept under the carpet.
"We
have seen what the police did to Andries Tatane (a schoolteacher in Free State
who died after being beaten and shot at by riot police during protests).
"Police
are literally getting away with murder. The fact that these ones (who allegedly
assaulted Macia) were merely suspended makes me angry."
She also
said the biggest problem with the police was that they were led by civilians.
"The
police are also led by a woman [police commissioner Riah Phiyega] who does not
know what she is doing. They should give the job to a career officer."
Police
Minister Nathi Mthethwa's spokesman, Zweli Mnisi, said that it was unfair to
judge over 200000 policemen based on the actions of eight in Daveyton.
"The
DA cannot say that we have to lump Marikana together with Tatane and to what
happened in Daveyton."- monamat@sowetan.co.za
