The driver of the police van had claimed that he drove away to escape the angry mob, and did not know Macia was being dragged behind.
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The sentencing proceedings of eight policemen found guilty of murdering Mozambican taxi driver Mido Macia was expected to get under way on Wednesday.
The lawyer representing Mr Macia’s family said they were hoping for a life sentence but accepted Judge Bam’s ruling.
Williams says law enforcement agencies are there to protect society, saying ill-discipline will not be tolerated. The judge said it was unfortunate that none of the accused had shown any remorse for what they did and still maintained that they were innocent.
The 27-year-old Macia died in police custody in February 2013 after being arrested for parking his auto on the wrong side of the road.
An altercation broke out between him and two of the the policemen and they went to fetch back-up. The victim was then tied to the back of a police van and dragged in full view of scores of witnesses in the east Johannesburg area of Daveyton.
He later suffered even more severe injuries after he was locked up in a cell.
Medical evidence indicated that he had suffered serious blunt force trauma while in the cells.
He was later found dead in the Daveyton police station’s holding cells.
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Judge Bert Bam convicted Meshack Malele, Thamsanqa Ngema, Percy Mnisi, Bongamusa Mdluli, Sipho Ngobeni, Lungisa Gwababa, Bongani Kolisi and Linda Sololo of murder on 25 August.
