Taibu's lawyer rubbishes assault claims

Former Zimbabwe captain Tatenda Taibu has been accused of being involved in a "tug of war" according to a prosecution witness on the first day of his trial in Harare. Taibu was charged with assault on Zimbabwe Cricket's finance manager, Easter Lupepe, last year, something he denies.

Taibu and Lupepe were found scuffling in an upstairs office of a travel agency. "After a while I heard shouting and screaming from the office upstairs," the witness told the court. "She [Lupepe] was shouting and calling out my name. There was a tug of war. When I entered the room, she was being pulled. He was saying, 'you are going with me' and she was saying 'no'." The prosecution claimed the fight was eventually broken up by a male employee of the agency.

Taibu's lawyer said the meeting had been arranged in a private room by Lupepe because "it had been a set up". He said his client had not requested a private meeting and as such isolating them was aimed at ensuring that there was no witness who would vouch that Lupepe was not assaulted. He went on to say that the obvious place for the two to meet was at ZC's head office and dismissed the main witness's statement as being "a figment of your imagination to have him prosecuted".

He added the state's key witness was also testifying to protect contracts that she has with Zimbabwe Cricket.

The trial continues at Harare Magistrates Court.