In a normal world, Preston Davids would have been remembering his late mother and celebrating Women’s Day with his fiancée Ravina Govender this week.

But these are far from normal times in South Africa, a country where Covid-19, crime and corruption compete for the daily headlines.

Instead, the South African judo world is mourning one of its brightest stars after Davids, 28, was murdered in Cape Town last week.

A former national champion, Davids left his mark on judo mats around the country.

He was back visiting his boyhood neighbourhood of Bellville South when he was fatally stabbed with a pair of scissors in an early morning incident involving two alleged members of a local gang who had apparently long had it in for the community’s beacon of hope.

His death morbidly mirrored of that of his father, who died in a gang stabbing when Preston was a youngster.

I first met Davids at the regional AUSC Region 5 Games in Luanda, Angola, late in 2016, where he was one of two judo coaches. A nicer guy one couldn’t hope to meet and, like most judo players and management I’ve met over the last 10 years, passionate about his sport, always ready to unravel the mysteries of a highly technical and sometimes bewildering code.

As a highly successful competitive career (he won gold at the 2016 Commonwealth Judo Championships and was also an SA Open champion) started winding down, he was finding his way in the coaching/managerial corridors.

He went out of his way to send information on the judoka back to me to update the Team South Africa website from the 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games in the Bahamas.

(Photo: Facebook/Preston Davids)

Members of the South African judo fraternity, trying to pick themselves up from the floor after hearing the sad news, took time out to convey the emotional stranglehold the code finds itself in.

Michelle Booyse was part of the management team with Davids in Angola four years ago and painted a figurative picture around her sporting relationship with him.

Said an emotional Booyse: “Never in my wildest dreams did I think 2020 would bring so much pain and heartbreak.

“I had the privilege to coach with Preston in Angola. I had always known him from both the mat and as a coach and training partner but that was the first time I had coached with him internationally. He was my absolute right hand, be it as a partner, as an uki (the judoka being thrown), wherever.

“One of my favourite memories is from the recent SA nationals, where all the coaches would look forward to the fights between Preston and Matthew Chase, where they would fight for a full five minutes, showing the most amazing techniques and spirit.

“But this year there was no chance to do that. Last year was the last time they fought finals and for many people the finals will just never be the same again.”

Personal advice was passed on, too.

“He taught me that it doesn’t matter how difficult a competition is or how big the groups are, just to smile and assist each of our players. It was also very much a case of it not being about who you are but more about the effort etc and never giving up,”said Booyse.

“He was such a sweetheart, always ready with a big smile…”

His death has left a huge hole.

“Never in our wildest imagination did we know that August would bring such heartache; to start off a new week like that and never being able to say goodbye,” added Booyse.

“He was ripped away from us in such a horrible way. A ‘skollie’ had to take him out to ‘climb the ladder’ in that hard and unforgiving community.

“He was born there but said he’d never accept his lot in life and that he had worked his way out, to be a better person and to teach others that your circumstances don’t define you.”

Respected Judo champion and coach, Preston Davids with Mosa Thetsane. (Photo: Facebook)

She continued: “The news hits right into your heart, into your very bone marrow. I kept on thinking that maybe it wasn’t true, but a week down the line it’s still true and I know he’s never coming back.”

Two of the many young lives touched by Davids were national champions and rising stars, the “Tuks twins” Thomas and Donné Breytenbach.

“His death has shocked the whole judo community,” said Thomas. “He was really kind and generous when it came to giving his time. He was always there for others, and gave so much to the kids.

“He was an amazing person, and really looked after me and my twin. One of his best gifts was teaching us how to focus completely on our sport. His death has so shocked us and the community.

“It’s a huge loss to SA. He was one of South Africa’s most amazing coaches. So much talent and empathy has been taken away from us with no goodbyes. He’ll be greatly missed, he really will be.”

Another star to remember Davids fondly was former national champion DJ le Grange, a member of Team SA at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Scotland.

“I got to know Preston quite well on training camps and in competitions. We first fought in Vanderbijlpark when he was a senior and I was a junior, (and fought one weight division higher),” Le Grange said.

“He was a very technical player, with a good eye and a great judo brain – a very explosive fighter. He was just a great guy, never had a nasty word to say about anyone; just a friendly, engaging and caring soul.”

Two suspects, aged 26 and 28, were arrested in connection with Davids’s death. The ages are grimly coincidental, with two of the biggest criminal gangs operating in the greater Cape Town area being known as the 26s and 28s.

To his killers, Davids may have just been a number, but to the judo community he was larger than life.

This week, President Cyril Ramaphosa lauded the efforts of South Africa’s rising motorbike racing star Brad Binder, who at the weekend won his first MotoGP, in the Czech Republic. Away from the news headlines, a heartbroken judo community was mourning a friend who had left us way too early. DM

Mark Etheridge is a  veteran sports journalist and former Team SA editor.