Who and what is AfriForum?

AfriForum is an Afrikaans civil rights organisation that protects the rights of minority groups at national as well as provincial level, and anyone who can identify with AfriForum’s principles and objectives may join the organisation. AfriForum’s community plan focuses on mobilising communities to thus take control of their own streets and neighbourhoods again. AfriForum ensures that your constitutional and civil rights are recognised and protected at national level.

Wie en wat is AfriForum?

AfriForum is ’n Afrikaanse burgerregteorganisasie wat die regte van minderheidsgroepe op sowel nasionale as provinsiale vlak beskerm, en enigiemand wat met AfriForum se beginsels en doelstellings kan identifiseer, mag by die organisasie aansluit. AfriForum se gemeenskapsplan fokus daarop om gemeenskappe te mobiliseer om só weer beheer terug te neem oor hul eie strate en woonbuurtes. AfriForum verseker dat jou grondwetlike én burgerregte op nasionale vlak erken en beskerm word.

Bizos slapped with R100 000 fine for beating his wife, breaking her ribs

The sentencing of Alexi Bizos (63) has sent a strong message to perpetrators of gender-based violence (GBV) that AfriForum’s Private Prosecution Unit will fight relentlessly for the victims of this scourge. Today, the Johannesburg Magistrates Court sentenced Bizos, son of the late struggle stalwart George Bizos, to a R100 000 fine or one year imprisonment; six months correctional supervision, which includes 20 hours a month of community service at shelters for abused women.

The unit represented Bizos’ ex-wife, Monique van Oosterhout. More than nine years after punching Van Oosterhout at their Johannesburg home, Bizos was convicted last year of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. Adv. 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 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 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.”

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. Although the criminal justice system has failed, 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.

The unit 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 28 March for the ruling.