14 Jul 2021

Former Member of Parliament for Mochudi East, Mr Isaac Davids was humiliated by his assailants before he died from knive stab injuries.

State witness, Mr Ramontie Segwati explained before Justice Michael Leburu of Gaborone High Court on Tuesday that the first accused person, Jabulani Dube hauled insults at the deceased, saying he was going to castrate him and cut off his private parts.

Another demeaning incident for the deceased legislator was when he was stripped naked by the accused after a long tussle.

Mr Segwati said on that fateful day, together with his sister and brother in law, they had accompanied Davids to his farm as his sister was looking for cattle to buy.

Upon arrival at the farm, he said they found one farm worker and added that Mr Davids asked him to accompany him to Sorilatholo.

Along the way, Mr Segwati said Mr Davids told him that his farm workers had taken his horses and they had not returned in a long time.

Their journey led to a certain sheeben in Sorilatholo, where the two accused, Dube and Mokgalemi Maleya were seated.

He said the deceased inquired about his horses and Dube responded by yelling swearing insults of castrating the deceased and cutting off his private parts, saying the deceased owed them.

Mr Segwati said the deceased responded by slapping the first accused, who fell down to the ground.

Upon the accused gaining consciousness, the two accused persons approached the deceased and Mr Segwati and charged at them as they retreated back.

He said Mr Davids went towards the fireplace where he broke a log to scare off the two attackers and shouted, asking Mr Segwati to bring him a gun from the car, as the two were holding knives.

Mr Segwati said he searched for the gun and he did find it in the car, while the two continued their assault on the deceased.

He told the court that Dube stabbed the deceased on the back and at the front under the ribs with a knife, while Maleya stabbed him on the thighs.

Mr Segwati said he shouted for help from those in the homestead, but with no one helping, he rushed to the kgotla to ask the police for help.

Upon arrival with the police, they found the deceased naked and Dube holding the deceased’s belt and charging.

When the accused charged at him, he rushed to the vehicle and locked himself inside and Dube hit the vehicle with the belt, ultimately breaking the windscreen.

He added that Dube managed to get inside the vehicle through an unlocked door and he rushed out, before the accused was caught and handcuffed by the police.

During a cross examination by the defence lawyer, Mr Bathusi Brown, representing Dube, said that there was in fact a gun inside the car and Mr Segwati did not search for the gun as the accused blocked his way to the car.

He said the witness was Mr Davids’s associate and would do anything to incriminate his client.

Attorney Opeyemi Ajayi for Maleya said that the deceased was angry from the moment he saw the accused persons and charged at them.

The two are accused of murdering Isaac Davids on January 14, 2018.

The trial continues. Ends