Andiswa Mengo, a judge’s secretary at Makhanda High Court, admitted to having a sexual conversation with Judge President Selby Mbenenge.
This after advocate Salome Scheepers, the evidence leader, reviewed the two parties’ WhatsApp conversations on Friday.
Mengo started the morning by explaining to the Judicial Conduct Tribunal that the conversation began when Mbenenge asked for a video she shared on her WhatsApp status.
“I posted the video after the announcement that the army would be deployed to help strengthen the [Covid-19] lockdown conditions,” Mengo said.
“The judge president requested it, and I forwarded it, then he said thank you.”
Mbenenge is referred to as daddy
Scheepers highlighted her response to the judge president: “And you responded, ‘pleasure daddy’, why?”
According to Mengo, she calls other judges “mommy” and “daddy”.
“I said daddy because he is a father, and I do refer to other judges as daddy and mommy because they treat me like their little girl,” she said.
Continuing with the conversation, Scheepers said Mbenenge responded: “You called me nicely.
“This was his response to being called daddy. And he went on to ask, ‘python?’, what did you understand about this?”.
An emotional Mengo responded: “He was talking about his private part.”
Mengo asked the judge president to assist her with her English assignments on gender-based violence (GBV), according to parts of the conversation.
“We had to do research on GBV. After I had asked him to help, he sent me a picture of a naked woman. I felt naked and my soul torn,” she added.
She told the tribunal that Mbenenge instead sent her a collage of different sex positions and gave her an order to “watch it alone”.
WhatApp status scrutinised
“I had written on my status that we matter in other houses, and he commented, laughing,” she explained.
Scheepers asked what she meant by her status.
Mengo responded: “I was talking about a compliment I had received from a female advocate.
“I told him that ‘this is my support structure, not a man so chill’. I said that because he had also sent a sticker of a man who was sad and had a bit of anger. He then asked if I was alone before he sent the collage, which he deleted later.
“I felt like I was his victim because I was not with other people.
“I responded to the collage and said ‘nice’ because I did not know what to say. I gave him a response that would be pleasing to him. With that video, I understood that now I have to tell him the sex style I like.”
Scheepers asked: “Why did you tell him that he deleted the collage before you could finish?
“You responded here and said it is evident that he finishes half way and mentioned foreplay. Did you want to do foreplay with him?”
Mengo responded: “The conversation had now become sexual; I said we first foreplayed, but that did not mean I wanted foreplay with him.
“I spoke about foreplay because I did not know what to say because he does not listen.”
“The respondent continued to ask, ‘slow?'” asked Scheepers, “and you responded, ‘please’, what was your understanding of this part and that he mentioned the length?”
Said Mengo: “Please mean I wanted to be assisted. I did not want to engage in the conversation.
“The conversation was sexual; he asked me about the length of a penis that is good for me. I responded, of course, because I was fed up and being sarcastic.”
The tribunal adjourned until Monday after the interpreter’s voice was strained.
