Monique van Oosterhout, the estranged wife of Alexis Bizos, concluded her evidence in the assault case against him at the Johannesburg magistrate’s court on Wednesday.

She described how the accused allegedly punched her in the face, manhandled her and threw her against a bookshelf. This led to six of her ribs being broken.

The private prosecution of Bizos is being pursued by AfriForum’s private prosecution unit on behalf of Van Oosterhout. Bizos allegedly assaulted Van Oosterhout in 2015.

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) initially refused to prosecute Bizos, the son of the late human rights lawyer George Bizos.

After AfriForum’s announcement in 2018 that it had applied for a certificate issued by the NPA confirming it is declining to prosecute, it said the NPA made a surprise announcement that it would prosecute.

Bizos was subsequently invited to submit representations before his prosecution.

“Upon receipt of Bizos’ representations, the NPA yet again declined to enrol the matter, prompting Van Oosterhout to apply for a certificate yet again to privately prosecute Bizos,” AfriForum said.

During her evidence in chief, led by AfriForum private prosecution head Gerrie Nel, Van Oosterhout told the court that on the evening of March 16 2015, after a verbal altercation with Bizos, she approached him in his study.

She alleges that after briefly speaking to the accused, he punched her in the face.

“I fell to the ground and was disorientated. I felt heavy like I was glued to the ground and could not get up,” she said. 

Van Oosterhout further alleged that the attack continued — to the point that Bizos rammed her into the bookshelf, which resulted in several fractures which were later identified in a CAT scan.

“Seven years after the incident I am relieved I was finally given an opportunity to tell my story to the court,”  Van Oosterhout said.

She  thanked the AfriForum’s unit for supporting her and ensuring the case was enrolled.

The accused pleaded not guilty, citing self-defence, saying Van Oosterhout was the aggressor — a claim she denies.

During cross-examination the defence counsel presented a version contradictory to the complainant’s, but she told the court this was entirely fabricated. 

AfriForum’s private prosecution unit spokesperson Barry Bateman said this was another case in a long line of gender-based violence matters that unit was focusing on because of the failure of the criminal justice system to protect women and children.

The matter was postponed until January next year.

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