Denzil Xavier Dawids (25), who allegedly rammed his car into a stationary vehicle and killed a female passenger on 1 October 2023 in Gobabis, pleaded not guilty to all charges on Monday.
He made the plea before Windhoek High Court Judge Dinnah Usiku at the High Court situated at the Windhoek Correctional Facility.
Dawids is facing one count of murder, one count of reckless or negligent driving, two counts of attempted murder, two counts of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm (GBH), one count of assault and one count of malicious damage to property.
It is alleged by the State that he intentionally killed Yolande Regina McCullum by hitting her with his Toyota Hilux.
The charge of reckless driving is in relation to him driving at an excessive speed and in a wanton disregard for the safety of other persons or property.
The attempted murder charges relate to him driving at full speed at the vehicle that Percival McCallum and Caden Snyders were in and colliding with it, thereby attempting to kill them.
The assault GBH charges are in relation to the accused attacking and hitting Percival and Alessandro van Rooyen with a sjambok with the intent to cause them bodily harm.
The assault charge relates to the accused slapping Snyders in the face with an open hand. The malicious damage to property relates to Dawids damaging the vehicle the complainants and the deceased were in, to the amount of N$232 973.17, by causing a collision.
It is alleged by the State that the deceased and the complainants were socialising at a bar in Epako in Gobabis when the accused arrived and started spinning the wheels of his Hilux.
When Snyders requested him to stop the raucous, the accused allegedly assaulted him. One of the bystanders then apparently hit the accused on the head with a bottle. He was angry and under the impression that it was the occupants of the BMW, the complainants, who hit him, and he proceeded to damage the windows of the BMW.
It was at this stage that the complainants decided to leave the scene, and the accused followed them, the indictment read.
When he caught up with the BMW which was parked on a kerb, he veered into the lane for oncoming traffic and sped directly towards them with the intent to kill them, it is alleged, and the deceased managed to push her son (Percival) out of the way and suffered the brunt of the collision.
The accused then got out of his vehicle armed with a sjambok and started hitting the complainants multiple times with it, the State alleges.
His privately instructed lawyer, Sisa Namandje, confirmed to the court that the plea is in accordance with his instructions.
He further said his client will not provide a plea exclamation and will make use of his right to remain silent and put the onus on the State to prove each allegation against him.
State Advocate Basson Lilungwe is prosecuting. Dawids is free on bail, and the matter continued yesterday.