Andiswa Mengo, who accuses Eastern Cape Judge President Selby Mbenenge of sexual assault, has received a death threat in the form of a letter left in her office.
Image: Office of the Chief Justice / N Mabusela
The Women’s Legal Centre, which is representing the Eastern Cape High Court judge’s secretary Andiswa Mengo in her sexual harassment complaint against Judge President Selby Mbenenge, has condemned the recent death threat sent to the court employee.
This is after Mengo received a handwritten note left at her desk at court on Friday, with the words “a bullet is waiting for you”. Mengo is still working at the high court.
In a statement, the Women’s Legal Centre confirmed that Mengo received a written death threat at her place of work.
“We can further confirm that this is not the first threat she has received since filing a complaint of sexual harassment against the Judge President of the Eastern Cape,” the centre said.
The Judicial Conduct Tribunal is conducting a hearing into sexual harassment complaints made by Mengo against Mbenenge, which is due to resume on June 30.
The legal centre, meanwhile, said that throughout the tribunal proceedings, it has consistently raised concerns about its client’s safety and security.
“Following this latest threat, we have again raised the matter with her employer, the Office of the Chief Justice, as well as the Judicial Service Commission and the Tribunal panel,” the legal centre said.
It stressed that the safety and well-being of Mengo and her family should be treated as a top priority.
The legal centre said this incident reflects the precarious and dangerous position women find themselves in after reporting sexual harassment in the workplace.
It added that this highlights the urgent need for victim-centred systems that prioritise physical and emotional protection. It said women should be able to speak out without fear and intimidation, or retaliation.
“The reality is that women who report sexual harassment are targeted and silenced. Ms Mengo's courage must be met with protection, not punishment,” the legal centre said.
During the first sitting of the tribunal, Mengo gave evidence to the effect that Judge Mbenenge used his position of power to sexually harass and intimidate her.
She testified about a plethora of WhatsApp messages between them and said Mbenenge had sent emojis, many of a sexual nature.
She also claimed that Judge Mbenenge has sent her a picture depicting his private part - a claim the judge president vehemently denied.
Mbenenge said that flirting took place between them but denied the sordid details as testified by Mengo.
During the second sitting of the tribunal, a digital forensics analyst testified that there is no forensic evidence that Judge Mbenenge sent an explicit image of his genitals to Mengo.
He also testified that deleted or overwritten messages cannot be recovered.
According to Mengo, the judge president deleted the image he sent her.
When the hearing resumes on June 30, it will run to July 11. It is expected that Judge Mbenenge will start his defence during this third stint of the hearing.
Cape Times