Tendai Biti accused of deliberate assault after High Court setback

HARARE, Zimbabwe – Opposition official Tendai Biti faces accusations of having premeditated plans to verbally assault businesswoman Tatiana Aleshina after a High Court ruling went against his client, George Katsimberis, in a case involving Aleshina’s company, Pokugara Properties.

Deputy Prosecutor-General Michael Reza presented the state’s claim on Thursday, asserting that Biti had submitted numerous complaints against Aleshina and her companies in an assault trial.

The prosecution contends that this might have been the motive behind the alleged verbal assault that occurred at the Harare Magistrates Court in 2020, soon after Biti received news of the High Court’s decision against his client.

During cross-examination in the verbal assault trial, Biti refuted the charges, asserting that he had never interacted with Aleshina when the alleged incident took place.

He mentioned that he only knew her as a “white lady” in court.

Biti seized the opportunity to address concerns about biased media coverage, claiming that his cases were being politicized.

He specifically pointed fingers at Zanu PF secretary for finance Patrick Chinamasa, accusing him of malicious intent.

The Deputy Prosecutor-General challenged Biti with several newspaper articles related to his case, urging him to prove their falsehood.

While Biti acknowledged the factual correctness of the reports regarding court proceedings, he expressed concern that they portrayed him as a perpetrator of gender-based violence.

When confronted with the argument that media reports do not influence court decisions, Biti maintained that, at times, they did have an impact.

Reza contended that Biti directed his frustration at Aleshina following Katsimberis’ loss in a crucial High Court case.

The state has previously accused Biti of filing “several frivolous” applications to delay the trial.

The trial is set to continue on Friday, with Biti defending himself against the allegations of verbal assault linked to the High Court ruling against his client.