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S. Africa cops charged with murder after death of man dragged by police van

Courtesy NBC News

Eight South African police officers have been charged with murder amid outrage over the death of a taxi driver who was dragged along the ground while tied to a police van.

The incident in the Johannesburg area of Daveyton on Tuesday was caught on video by a bystander and the film has since gone viral on YouTube.

Mido Macia, 27, originally from Mozambique, did not die while he was dragged down the street, but was later found dead in his police cell.

In a statement, South Africa's President Jacob Zuma said that the "visuals of the incident are horrific, disturbing and unacceptable."

"No human being should be treated in that manner," he added.

South Africa's police chief Gen. Riah Phiyega said she shared "the extreme shock and outrage" over the video evidence of abuse of Macia by police officers and said his rights were "violated in the most extreme form," the AP reported.

Earlier Phiyega told a news conference Friday that the eight officers involved had been suspended and the station commander was going to be removed from duty, Reuters reported.