ZELDA VENTER
Alexi Bizos, who assaulted his now former wife more than nine years ago at their home, which left her with severe injuries, including six broken ribs, was eventually sentenced to a hefty fine and he has to perform community service at a shelter for abused women.
The Johannesburg Magistrates Court sentenced Bizos, son of the late struggle stalwart George Bizos, on Friday to a R100,000 fine or one year imprisonment, as well as to six months correctional supervision, which includes 20 hours a month of community service at shelters for abused women.
AfriForum’s private prosecuting unit, which represented Bizos’ ex-wife, Monique van Oosterhout, welcomed the sentence and said it sends out a strong message to perpetrators of gender-based violence.
Years after punching Van Oosterhout at their Johannesburg home, Bizos was convicted last year of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. Advocate Gerrie Nel, the head of AfriForum's Private Prosecution Unit, began the trial in January 2020, after taking on the case in 2018.
Magistrate Tshepo Twala said Bizos had shown no remorse for his crime and failed to acknowledge the wrongfulness of his actions. The magistrate said the accused showed no insight into the crime he had committed, nor an appreciation of the impact it had on Van Oosterhout.
Twala said domestic violence is a scourge that is far too prevalent, which demands robust punishment of the perpetrators.
“You cannot ignore that this was a vulnerable woman who was in the safety of her own home when she was assaulted. Gender-based violence gives the perpetrators power. In this case, the accused assaulted the complainant because he questioned her and undermined his authority,” he said.
Bizos, 63, was spared imprisonment because of his age and that he was a first-time offender.
Van Oosterhout expressed relief that the case was finally over. “I want to thank AfriForum for their perseverance and continued support. Not just for me, but for all women,” she said.
Nel said the sentence was appropriate. “This private prosecution, the conviction and sentence sends a clear message to women to speak out, to not accept violence committed against them, because someone will listen to them.”
He said although the criminal justice system has failed some, women must not accept that they are victims. “The court acknowledged the role it plays in fighting the scourge with sentences which reflect the seriousness of the crimes and serve as a deterrent,” said Nel.
Van Oosterhout earlier testified that Bizos had attacked her in his study on the evening of March 15, 2015, following a verbal argument. He punched her “with fists on both sides of her ribcage repeatedly” and rammed her into a bookshelf. She suffered six rib fractures and the fractures were on both sides of her body.
Bizos, who had pleaded not guilty to the assault, claimed that she was the aggressor and said that he had acted in self-defence.
The private prosecution unit meanwhile filed an application for a costs order against Bizos and the National Prosecuting Authority to cover the costs of the private prosecution. The matter was postponed to March 28 for the ruling.