Andiswa Mengo was threatened after she lodged the sexual harassment case against the Eastern Cape judge president, Selby Mbenenge.
Mengo, who works as the judges’ secretary at Makhanda High Court in the Eastern Cape, told the Juducial Conduct Tribunal that is hearing the case that she received a phone call threatening her to drop the complaint.
She said this on Friday after the defence wrapped up its cross-examination of her.
Life became extremely difficult
Asked by her lawyer, advocate Nasreen Rajab-Budlender, how her life was at work after she lodged the complaint, Mengo said it was extremely difficult.
“We have heard from the defence that the defendant [Mbenenge] denies sexually harassing you. And that there were no power dynamics. Now tell the panel how your life was at work, after you lodged the complaint,” said Rajab-Budlender.
“It was difficult,” said the emotional Mengo.
When asked by her lawyer why some of the messages were missing, as the defence had said, Mengo said she had to hand over her phone to the police.
Messages were lost after cops took the phone
“I did not delete anything. But in January 2023, I got threatened. And my phone was handed in to try and track the call that threatened me, saying I should withdraw the complaint. It came back to me in March. And some of the things were not there,” she said.
Mengo said her life had to change after the threats because she felt unsafe. She moved from the Eastern Cape to Midrand, Johannesburg.
“The move was for safety concerns,” she added.
Mengo said she never consented to the sexual conversations with the judge president.
“He is a person who does not have the truth. I did not consent to the sexual conversations,” she said.
Judge has powers to do anything
“It is not true that the judge president does not have power to end my career, because this person has the power to do whatever he wants. He is feared at work and he makes sure that you feel his presence,” she said.
Earlier in the week, Mengo told the tribunal that she lodged the complaint. She was standing up for thousands of other women who go through sexual harassment in the workplace but do not have the bravery to report it.
The hearing has been postponed to May 5 to 16.
