15 Jul 2021

Mr Isaac Davids may have commanded a certain degree of reverence as a community leader, but on his last day on earth, the former Mochudi East Member of Parliament was naked, helpless and wailing for assistance.

His alleged last audible words were pleading with his herd-boy, Jabulani Dube, who is the first accused in the Davids murder trial: “Ao morena, madi a ko koloing, ke tla go duela,” loosely translated, ‘my lord, there is money in the car, I will pay you”.

This is according to Ms Ogomoditswe Rantsodi of Sorilatholo, who was giving evidence in chief before Justice Michael Leburu of Gaborone High Court on Wednesday.

When describing the ordeal, Ms Rantsodi said Mr Davids suffered mercilessly at the hands of Dube and Mokgalemi Maleya, but it was Dube who was more brutal to the deceased legislator.

She alleged that after the two had stabbed the then member of parliament several times, Dube took the deceased’s shoes, socks, trousers and t-shirt and threw them outside the fence.

“Mr Davids was weak and dizzy, he tried to stand up and Petrus (Dube) kicked and slapped him on the face, he then fell to the ground again,” she stated before the court.

The first accused iallegedly took out a knife and told the deceased that he was going to kill him and stabbed him on the stomach.

Dube reportedly instructed the deceased to pay him and Mr Davids promised to settle the debt.

Asked by the state prosecutor, Ms Thato Dibeela why she could not offer assistance to the deceased, Ms Rantsodi said she was scared since Dube was holding a butcher knife, which he had allegedly used to stab the deceased.

The witnesses further told the court that the ordeal started when the deceased arrived at a certain shebeen in Sorilatholo and inquired on the whereabouts of Dube and Maleya.

Upon seeing them, he instructed them to return his horses to the farm and the duo objected.

The first accused told Davids to load the horses in the vehicle and transport them back to the farm, while Maleya expressed skepticism to the request, saying the deceased would kill them if they returned to the farm.

Ms Rantsodi alleged that Dube started to hurl insults at the deceased who consequently slapped him and he fell down.

She said the two accused then charged at the deceased, with Dube holding a knife, while the deceased broke a log from the fireplace to defend himself.

“Petrus then said to Mokgalemi, bring out your knife so that we kill this dog,” stated Ms Rantsodi in her evidence.

She alleged that Mr Davids tried to run towards the fence for safety, but the first accused managed to stab him on the back, while the second accused allegedly stabbed him on the legs. 

The witness alleged that the two managed to bring the deceased down and Dube got on top of him, stabbing his upper body, while Maleya allegedly focused on holding and stabbing his legs.

The court heard that Dube got Maleya’s Okapi knife and allegedly used two knives to stab the deceased until the second accused instructed him to return his knife.

She said Maleya then took his knife, cleaned it and retreated from assaulting the deceased while Dube  continued.

The case continues. Ends