Mengo testifies how Judge Mbenenge requested she send him photos of her private parts
High court secretary, Andiswa Mengo has testified that the senior judge made insinuations referring to his private parts during conversations with the junior on WhatsApp.
Eastern Cape Judge President Selby Mbenenge at the Judicial Conduct Tribunal investigating sexual harassment allegations against him on 17 January 2025. Picture: Office of the Chief Justice/N Mabusela
Please note that the following story contains graphic details of a sexual nature:
JOHANNESBURG - The Judicial Conduct Tribunal investigating allegations of sexual harassment against Eastern Cape Judge President, Selby Mbenenge has heard how he allegedly made sexual suggestions to a junior staffer in the division.
High court secretary, Andiswa Mengo has testified that the senior judge made insinuations referring to his private parts during conversations with the junior on WhatsApp.
The panel is tasked with probing Mengo’s allegations after she laid a complaint against the jurist in 2023 alleging that Mbenenge made unwanted sexual advances towards her between 2021 and 2022.
In July 2021, Mengo allegedly asked the judge president the reason behind his decision to delete messages after he erased a series of texts he had sent to the complainant.
The judge allegedly said it was to prevent a scenario where a child might see the texts.
The message reads, “Your child will be worried to learn that at some point you will encounter large nto.”
Asked what she understood by the message, Mengo through a new interpreter, made the following submission.
“I understood him to be now referring to his genital l part.”
Mengo submitted that she abruptly said "goodnight" to the top judge to avoid the conversation, but she claims he did not stop.
READ: Complainant tells tribunal she responded to Mbenenge's advances in a manner he would have preferred
Mengo testified that Mbenenge allegedly requested that she send him photos of her private parts.
This allegedly happened in July 2021 when the pair communicated on social media and WhatsApp.
Mengo allegedly told the judge that she intended to go to sleep for the night in an attempt to avoid further sexual conversations with her boss.
He, however, allegedly requested that she send explicit photos of herself.
Evidence leader, Advocate Salome Scheepers read out the message from the Eastern Cape judge:
“So the respondent sent you a message saying please send a juicy pic before you sleep. What did you understand by that?”
Assisted by an interpreter, Mengo relayed what she understood by the message.
“I understood him to be requesting me to send him a pic that will satisfy him. That is now a pic of my private part.”