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Johannesburg - The 10 Tembisa police officers who have been charged for the murder of Khuthazile Mbedu have been suspended, said the SA Police Service on Tuesday.
This was confirmed by police spokesperson Solomon Makgale.
The group was arrested on August 27 following a probe into the death of Mbedu who died in December allegedly after being assaulted and tasered. One of his legs was broken during the incident.
The Tembisa Magistrate's Court on Tuesday released the officers on bail of R2 000 each.
It was revealed during their bail application that Mbedu had been arrested after police responded to a call for backup from a tracking company who was in pursuit of the allegedly stolen car.
Through affidavits, the officers told the court they intended to plead not guilty to the murder charge.
Nine of the ten policemen stated that Mbedu was uninjured and alive when he was handed to officer Stanford Mokobodi at the Ivory Park police station after his arrest.
Mokobodi is also one of the accused in the matter.
The bail application proceeded unopposed by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate as well as the prosecution.
After proceedings, IPID spokesperson Grace Langa said they were confident that they would secure a conviction against the accused.
"I know ... it is painful for [Mbedu's] family members now that they have received bail and they are not happy about that but let us wait for the processes. We have evidence. We have witnesses and at the end of the day, justice will be served," she said.
The case would return to court on September 10.
