Judge still awaits his fate

ORAL ARGUMENT: TRIBUNAL RECONVENES IN OCTOBER OVER SEXUAL HARASSMENT CLAIM

- Vhahangwele Nemakonde

In perhaps one of the most contentious hearings against a judge, with witnesses contradicting each other, the Judicial Conduct Tribunal started the year with a hearing that seeks to determine whether Eastern Cape Judge President Selby Mbenenge sexually harassed secretary for the judges, Andiswa Mengo.

The tribunal, comprising retired Gauteng Judge President Bernard Ngoepe, Judge Cynthia Pretorius, retired judge of the Gauteng division of the high court and advocate Gift Mashaba as a non-judicial member of the tribunal, commenced in January and is expected to resume in October.

Mengo lodged a complaint against Mbenenge, accusing him of sexual harassment after he allegedly persistently asked her to send him explicit images and also sent him his in exchange.

She said she found the requests for pictures "annoying" and felt he was forcing her to send them.

She accused him of sexually harassing her through messages on WhatsApp, inappropriate comments, gestures regarding her appearance and an incident in his chambers in November 2022.

She also claimed he sent her an image of his private parts, which was subsequently deleted on 17 June 2021.

The complainant told the tribunal it showed "his private part with hair the same colour as his hair on his head".

He also allegedly sent her pornographic pictures.