By A Correspondent | Harare lawyer and barrister Tendai Biti has been granted bail.
Biti was arrested on charges of allegedly assaulting a woman who is his client’s opponent in a property wrangle.
Allegations were raised against the Harare lawyer with the Law Society of Zimbabwe and Gender Commission by the Russian national, Tatiana Aleshina who alleged saying she was manhandled during an altercation outside Harare Magistrates’ Court.
Ms Tatiana Aleshina and Mr Biti allegedly had a heated exchange during which Aleshina says she was manhandled. She filed an assault report with the police and has now lodged the two further complaints.
Mr Biti has denied any wrongdoing.
In her complaint lodged with the Law Society, Ms Aleshina wants Mr Biti investigated for alleged gross unprofessional conduct and alleges she and her workmates were verbally abused each time they came to court. Ms Aleshina is one of the witnesses in the Katsimberis criminal cases still pending.
“While attending to these matters at Harare Magistrates’ Court, I and my colleague at Pokugara Properties (Private) Limited have been victims of Mr Biti’s unsolicited verbal abuse and assaults which amount to gross professional misconduct,” said Ms Aleshina, the chief operating officer of Pokugara.
She claimed that on August 29 this year, as she was about to leave the court gallery after the court session and in the company of her workmate Mr Simbarashe Kadye the company’s chief finance officer, Biti confronted them and said: “I am going to take your house, clothes and panties and leave you with nothing. I am not joking!”
He then allegedly turned to Ms Aleshina reportedly shouting she was very stupid. “It was clear to all people who were in court gallery that Mr Biti took delight not only in verbally abusing me, but in trying to intimidate me and felt that, as a woman and foreigner of Russian origins, I was a nonentity to him and that he would use every extra judicial means to crush me or harm or destroy me for daring to be a witness in the criminal matter against his client,” she stated in her complaint.
“I strongly feel Mr Biti also violated my rights as a woman by trying to show his man power over me by swearing and shouting at me in a way which clearly made me less human thereby humiliating me. His conduct in pointing against my face was a clear act of verbal assault.”
Ms Aleshina also said she had no personal issue with Mr Biti before this incident.
“His conduct is a threat to womanhood and to the powerless and takes us back to the stone age where the perceived powerful will tremble on the rights of the poor without any censure,” she added.
Ms Aleshina filed a similar complaint with the Gender Commission.
Meanwhile, below was a thread she opened on the micro logging website, Twitter:
Today i want to share my story of humiliation and verbal abuse i received from @BitiTendai. Say no to assault (physical and verbal) say no to gender based violence! #GBVmustfall
@womensaidorg
#16daysofActivism
@Unwomen
#generationequality
#16Days
#orangetheworld
#UnitedNations@mentionsis supposedly a national leader as VP of MDCA, a Christian and lawyer but the way he behaved is NOT acceptable.
He shouted at me, called me “stupid very stupid” several time’s and made me feel intimidated, belittled and publicly humiliated.@mentionsviolated my rights as a woman. He violently pointed his fingers at my face and threatened me. To put this into context neither me nor my company had any prior dealings with this man, we have never spoken to him and yet his behavior was irrational, hysterical…
…and not fitting for any man never mind one in his position. How can he be trusted if he does this to an innocent woman like me?
I’m not saying all this for you to feel sorry for me, I’m doing it to create awareness and understanding that in our society in #zimbabwe#harareThere are men who put themselves above women. Such instances of sexism and chauvinism displayed by @BitiTendai as means of intimidation to reinforce the power base of men is shameful, he obviously wanted to remind me and women that they are weaker and inferior to him!This misogynistic behaviour MUST not be allowed to continue! Let us all stand together with #16DaysofActivism to prevent men like @BitiTendai treating women in this condescending way.@mentions#womenrights
HOW CAN YOU TELL IF YOU ARE BEING VERBALLY ABUSED?
-Display of anger in the way that frightens you
-public humiliation
-calling you insulting names ( such as “stupid”, “worthless”,)
-threatens to hurt you or people you care about
@BitiTendai@mentions
Emotional and verbal abuse includes insults and attempts to scare, isolate or control you. it also often a sign that physical abuse may follow.
This may lead to short term and long lasting effects that are just as serious as physical abuse!