TimesLIVE Premium reports that Eastern Cape judge president Selby Mbenenge gave evidence on Monday at a Judicial Conduct Tribunal which is investigating judges’ secretary Andiswa Mengo’s complaint of sexual harassment.
He presented his own account of what happened between the two and said it was a “lie” that had tried to expose his erect penis to Mengo. “It never happened. The complainant [Mengo] knows as well as I do,” he claimed. The bulk of the case against Mbenenge relates to a string of WhatsApp exchanges between the two, which Mengo alleges were unwanted advances by him but which he says were not unwelcome by her. But there were also allegations that were outright denied by him, including one that, in November 2022, he had called her into his chambers, had pointed to his crotch, where there was a noticeable bulge, and said: “Do you see how much effect you have on me?” She testified that, as he “was fiddling with his zip”, he asked her “if I didn’t want to suck it”. Mbenenge said on Monday that this allegation was malicious and was being pursued “to shame me”. He also told the tribunal that he never sent Mengo a picture of his “private part” as she had claimed. He pointed out that the timecode of the picture she claimed he had sent her did not align with her testimony to the tribunal. Asked about being called “sexist” and “misogynist”, Mbenenge said the labels were hurtful and that he respected women. He said what was important was to view people as “adult individuals” who were free to engage in relationships of whatever form “as long as there is mutual consent” and as long as they were adults. His testimony will continue on Tuesday.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Franny Rabkin at TimesLIVE Premium (subscriber access only)
- Read too, Accusations of indecent exposure ‘lies’ fabricated to shame him, Mbenenge tells tribunal, at Daily Maverick
- And also, ‘I’m a Xhosa man’: Mbenenge uses culture as defence against sexual harassment accusations, at News24 (subscription / trial registration required)
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