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In a victory in the fight against gender-based violence and a prime example of selective prosecution, Alexi Bizos, son of the late human rights lawyer, Adv. George Bizos, was today convicted of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. The Johannesburg Magistrates Court found Bizos guilty more than nine years after punching his ex-wife Monique van Oosterhout at their Joburg home. Adv. Gerrie Nel, Head of AfriForum’s Private Prosecution Unit, secured a trial date in 2020 and started the private prosecution after the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) failed to prosecute Bizos.

After judgment was handed down, Van Oosterhout said she would never have had the opportunity to tell her story if it wasn’t for AfriForum’s Private Prosecution Unit. “This is not just justice for my case, but justice for every single woman who’s been abused, accused, shamed and blamed. This should not be happening. I am also very keenly aware that if AfriForum’s Private Prosecution Unit had not taken up my case when I asked them for legal advice, we would not be here,” she said. 

Barry Bateman, spokesperson for the Unit, says: “AfriForum’s Private Prosecution Unit will continue its fight to ensure nobody is above the law. This conviction exposes the NPA’s selective prosecution and vindicates our belief that the decision not to prosecute Bizos was because of his relationship to the well-known George Bizos. The magistrate found that the accused was a poor witness and evasive and that his testimony was littered with inconsistencies, The court also rejected his claim that he was in fact the victim and was acting in self-defence. On the other hand, the court found Van Oosterhout to be a good witness who painted a logical and clear picture of what happened.” 

Bizos assaulted Van Oosterhout in 2015, breaking six of her ribs. The NPA initially declined to prosecute him, but after AfriForum’s announcement in 2018 that his Private Prosecution Unit had applied for a nolle prosequi certificate to prosecute Bizos, the NPA made an about-turn. Bizos was then invited to make representations to the NPA before the prosecution was instituted but upon receipt of his reply, the NPA yet again decided not to prosecute. This prompted Van Oosterhout, with the unit’s support, to apply for a certificate to privately prosecute Bizos.

The matter has been postponed to 23 August to determine a date for sentencing.

Issued by AfriForum