IOL News reports that the judge's clerk who claimed she was sexually harassed by Eastern Cape High Court Judge President Selby Mbenenge said she endured his late night WhatsApp messages to her, as he was an elderly person and she respected the fact that he was her boss.

Andiswa Mengo told the Judicial Conduct Tribunal that because he was a powerful person, she was afraid not to respond to his messages. “I was afraid of losing my job as I am a single mother. I do not know what he would have thought if I had spoken to him in a rude manner.” On Tuesday, Mengo took the stand for the second day during the proceedings in which the tribunal is hearing evidence about her complaint. The tribunal, led by retired judge president Bernard Ngoepe, must establish whether Judge Mbenenge is guilty of any misconduct. According to Mengo, the messages started in June 2021 after he saw her child one day in her office. He enquired about the child’s father and asked her how many children she had. While she felt uncomfortable by the questions, she humoured him as he was her boss. She became even more uncomfortable when he asked her to send him pictures of herself. Mbenenge’s counsel on Monday told the tribunal that his response to the complaints against him would be presented to the tribunal at a later stage during the proceedings.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Zelda Venter at IOL News
• Read too, Judge asked secretary for nude picture of “top part” tribunal hears, at GroundUp

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