Andiswa Mengo broke down emotionally several times during her testimony. Picture: Screengrab
High Court secretary Andiswa Mengo has continued with her testimony about alleged inappropriate messages sent by Eastern Cape Judge President Selby Mbenenge, telling a tribunal she said “no” when he propositioned her for sex on WhatsApp.
Mengo’s testimony on Thursday formed part of the fourth day of testimony held before the Judicial Conduct Tribunal into the alleged sexual harassment complaint against Mbenenge.
The secretary filed the complaint against Mbenenge, stating that his suggestive advances were unwelcome.
The judicial conduct tribunal on Thursday heard how Mengo was allegedly asked to be sexually intimate with Mbenenge.
Mengo claimed she responded to the advances by sending a bible verse, Psalm 1, Verse 1, in the Xhosa Bible which begins with the word “hai” (no). She quoted from the verse in the Bible in messages four times.
However, 30 minutes after the messages, Mengo testified, he sent her sexually explicit emojis – a guava and a banana – and a picture of a penis and asked for “yours please” with a “wide-eyes” emoji.
ALSO READ: Mbenenge sent secretary private part picture and asked for ‘BJ’ [VIDEO]
Evidence leader advocate Salome Scheepers asked Mengo what was meant by “yours please” and whether she had responded to Mbenenge’s request.
“He was referring to my private part. No, I did not [respond]”
When evidence leader advocate Salome Scheepers asked why she had used the Bible verse, she said it was because Mbenenge was a church leader.
“Utata (Mbenenge), as I have mentioned initially, is a leader in the church. He understands very well the Bible. This particular verse, I saw it suitable. And this specific verse in the bible, there’s a comma behind the no and the no is written in capital letters. That was then my way of assurance to him that that which he asked me, is not going to happen.”
Mengo told the tribunal, headed by former Gauteng judge president Bernard Ngoepe, that Mbenenge seemed undeterred and sent her a message reading: “What if we melted, it is not impossible,” followed by a sticker of a man fanning his face.
Mengo said she reiterated: “It is impossible”.
In one response to the picture of the penis, which he deleted, she messaged “Jeso [Jesus] and in reply to her expression, Mbenenge asked: “Why put it that way? Looks delicious?”
Mbenege then asked Mengo to send a picture of her “private part.” When she did not send the picture he wanted, the judge president sent a WhatsApp message stating, “Don’t be tricky”.
In another WhatsApp exchange two days later, Mbenenge suggested a “quickie”.
Mengo said she understood the “quickie” to mean that she would “entertain him, make him feel good or make him feel happy”.
Scheepers asked whether she wanted Mbenege to have “interest” in her.
“I did not want him to have interest in me, but he already had interest in me… I wrote in this manner because I wanted to satisfy him, because I would never have had any rest.”
Asked what she meant by “satisfy”, Mengo answered: “To satisfy him with the conversation as he is continuing with the messaging. I was still keeping the understanding of his positioning, being the boss, by making sure I responded to him.”
ALSO READ: Judge Mbenenge accused of asking secretary for naked picture of ‘top part’ [VIDEO]
Mengo broke down emotionally several times during her testimony.
“May we adjourn for a few minutes chair?”
During her testimony on Thursday, Mengo also confirmed she suggested to Mbenenge that they meet face-to-face in East London because she wanted to discuss the sexually intimate WhatsApp messages he had been sending her since he had discovered she was a single mother.
She sent him a WhatsApp message back saying “Face each other, not intimacy”.
Scheepers asked Mengo if she ever contacted Mbenenge with a view to meeting in person.
“I was not interested,” she said.
On Wednesday, day three of the tribunal, Mengo testified that Mbenenge allegedly sent her a photo of his “private part with hair exactly the same colour as the hair on his head” followed by a message suggesting fellatio.
Mengo told the tribunal she saved Mbenenge’s “private parts” photo in her stickers folder on WhatsApp.”
Mbenenge has vehemently denied sending sexually explicit pictures to Mengo saying the judge president repeatedly asked her for intimate images of her and sent her pornographic material.
The hearing continues on Friday.
ALSO READ: WATCH: Woman found EC Judge President Selby Mbenenge’s requests for pictures ‘annoying’
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