The longest assault case in the court history of Zimbabwe finally kicked off last Friday with businesswoman Mrs Tatiana Aleshina narrating how she was assaulted by Tendai Biti.
A visibly emotional Mrs Aleshina nearly wept in court last
Friday as she was narrating how she was assaulted by the CCC vice president
sometime in 2020.
Mrs Aleshina told the court that she froze when the
opposition legislator charged towards her and felt he will physically attack
her.
“As we were walking in the corridor l suddenly heard big
noise and shouting behind my back,” she said.
Mrs Aleshina said she then immediately stopped in shock
only to see a huge giant person, Tendai Biti with a crowd of people charging
towards her.
While evidence was led by Deputy Prosecutor General Mr
Michael Reza, Aleshina said she had never came across that type of unruly
behaviour in all her life.
She told the court that Biti was aggressive and pointing
his finger at her face while shouting “you stupid stupid stupid idiot and was
shaking his body in an aggressive and angry way.
“I did not understand what was going on and I asked him are
you talking to me ” she asked, “but Biti continued his unruly behaviour
shouting and pointing at my face. After that my colleague Michael Van Blerk
then tried to protect me and stood in front of me, but someone said it’s not
right, it’s dangerous here and you need to go” Aleshina told the court.
Mr Reza asked Aleshina to describe how she felt in that
situation and she explained: “I felt he would physically hit me. I believed in
that moment I was in danger. I thought he could kill me. I was shaken and
humiliated and disturbed.”
Aleshina said after the incident she felt confused and she
wondered around the court for some minutes looking for exit point.
“On my out someone asked me why Biti was shouting at me and
l couldn’t answer that. Someone else also said Biti can’t treat women like that
you need to report him to police. I decided to go to the Russian Embassy and
tell them what happened. They calmed me down and advised me to go to the police
to report the matter.”
She said while at the police she discovered that her half
body was numb and could not move even her hand to sign. Then the police offered
to assist her to go to Harare hospital but she then instead ended up being
taken to Borrowdale Trauma Centre where she got treatment and was not in a good
condition. She was put on a drip and admitted to the bed ward.
Magistrate Vongai Muchuchuti-Guwuriro postponed the matter
to Thursday this week for continuation of trial.
The trial took place after long arguments with Biti’s
defence lawyer Alec Muchadehama who wanted to file another application for
referral to the Constitutional Court after the other one had been dismissed.
Magistrate Muchuchuti-Guwuriro had dismissed another
application for her recusal by Biti saying this was a bid to delay the trial.
However Biti refused to plead saying he did not want to be
subjected to a trial of a charge which is defective.
He later presented his defence to the charge saying there
was no distinction between the insults in the charge sheet or associated with
assault.
When the magistrate asked him to plead he further said he
could not plead or be subjected to the trial on provisions that is
unconstitutional saying it violated his constitutional right. Herald
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