Africa-Press – Botswana. Former Fairground Holdings boss, Michael Montshiwa’s murder trial opening took a dizzying turn as allegations of drug use and dealings before death at the hands of a gunman were revealed in court, Monday last week.
Montshiwa, who was killed at his Block 6 home in October 2015, is said to have been allegedly derailed from his initial business of large scale importation of cigarettes to drug dealing, which could have led to his death as he was also alleged to have been withdrawing large sums of money at the time.
Defence lawyer, Ofentse Khumomotse in the case against the accused, David Modise, told one of the witnesses, Kevin Mokotedi, a friend of the former boss on Friday during the trial that the deceased was not only on drugs but also sold them.
Modise, at the time of Montshiwa’s death, was his friend and doubled as his lawyer as per the evidence before court.
Mokotedi had testified that Modise had initially called him sometime in June and said Montshiwa was harassing him and that he behaved like someone on drugs.
He said he did not intervene as he believed it was for Modise and Montshiwa to sort out their differences.
“On the evening of October 18, 2015, I missed two phone calls from Montshiwa but I did not call him back. Then I heard on October 19, 2015, that Montshiwa had been shot. I then called David and asked him to check what could have happened in Block 6 at Montshiwa’s house,” he testified.
Mokotedi further said as a result of Montshiwa’s murder he followed Modise up, on an account of finances exchanged between him and the deceased, who then refused to account to him.
That was when the deceased’s alleged drug dealings came into the spotlight.
Under cross-examination Modise’s lawyer, Khumomotse asked Mokotedi if he was aware that the former Chief Executive Officer, not only used drugs but dealt in them.
Though Mokotedi denied having such knowledge, the defence lawyer put it to him that he dealt in and used drugs while he was still involved in the importation of cigarettes.
Khumomotse also told Mokotedi that Modise had no moral or legal obligation to account to him as Mokotedi was not Modise’s client but the deceased’s.
“It could have been possible that David and Montshiwa borrowed and lent money to each other and that therefore David had no basis to steal Montshiwa’s money as he could have borrowed from him if he needed money,” he said.
As the trial continued evidence led that the deceased and Modise were friends and that between June and September 2015 he had indicated he wanted a gun for self-protection. For purposes of acquiring the gun he engaged the assistance of his friend Tumelo Tshukudu, an accused turned State witness.
During testimony, another accused turned State witness, traditional healer Bampoloki Seiso testified that he sold a rifle to Modise through Tshukudu and went on to identify the said gun in court as part of exhibits. The gun, allegedly the one used in the murder, is the same one Seiso alleges to have sold to Modise.
Under cross-examination, Seiso indicated the gun was not recovered in his presence but he found it at the police station.
“The gun was not recovered in my presence, I found it at the police station and it was neither sealed nor in any container. I don’t know if David was called to be shown the gun at the police station and he signed or did not sign for it,” Seiso told the court.
Meanwhile, the State has already called six witnesses out of the 26 lined up and the three-day trial continues on May 26 before judge Zein Kebonang.
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