The trial of former Zimbabwe cricket captain Tatenda Taibu for assaulting a woman senior cricket official resumed in a court here on Tuesday. Taibu, now a top order batsman and wicketkeeper, is claimed to have roughed up Zimbabwe Cricket's (ZC) general manager Esther Lupepe during a row over unpaid salary and expenses.
According to the ZC chairman of legal and disciplinary affairs Wilson Manatse, the day's principal witness, he found her with "obvious" neck pains. He hair was in a dishevelled state and her blouse was in disarray, he told the court. He had tried to defuse the situation, he explained, but Lupepe's husband insisted on making a formal report to the police.
Taibu denies the charge, stating in a previous hearing he merely held her shoulder lightly during their conversation. He had gone to see Mrs Lupepe when his monthly pay cheque did not appear at the bank five days after it was due. He had needed the money urgently to pay for an emergency operation on his wife.
Taibu's defence lawyer Jonathan Samkange when cross-examining Manatse suggested that the assault charge was simply part of a long-running campaign to discredit Taibu, who had been at loggerheads with ZC for several years. Samkange latched on to a remark by Manatse, now a board member, that ZC did not want arrogant and indisciplined players. He accused him of meaning Taibu specifically which was denied.
Samkange then challenged Manatse to explain what had happened to what he said were large sums of money accrued to ZC in recent years from tours, television rights and directly from the International Cricket Council, which he suggested had disappeared.
This was denied by Manatse, who stated that ZC made very little money and was struggling financially. Unless the team played well and there was some small occasional TV coverage, the national body was in poor financial shape, he said. At this point the proceedings were postponed until Thursday when Menashe will resume the stand. Afterwards Samkange said he would then persue the matter of ZC finances "with vigour."
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