Mbenenge and Mengo exchanged more than 800 messages, tribunal hears
Zoleka Qodashe 5 May 2025 | 14:02 Selby Mbenenge
Andiswa Mengo
Judicial Conduct Tribunal
Eastern Cape Judge President Selby Mbenenge (back row) at the Judicial Conduct Tribunal in Sandton, Johannesburg on 5 May 2025. The tribunal is investigating sexual harassment allegations against him. Picture: Katlego Jiyane/EWN
JOHANNESBURG - Eastern Cape Judge President Selby Mbenenge and high court secretary, Andiswa Mengo, exchanged more than 800 messages.In September last year, digital forensic investigator and data analyst, Francois Moller, was handed the smartphones of both parties to investigate, among others, the contents of the messages exchanged between the parties.
Mengo accuses the Eastern Cape's top judge of making unwanted sexual advances towards her and sending her explicit content on social media platform, WhatsApp, between 2021 and 2022.
ALSO READ: Mbenenge tribunal: First expert witness reveals Mengo and judge deleted messages from their phones
Moller is the expert tasked with combing through evidence found on the phones of Mbenenge and Mengo.
The digital forensic investigator confirmed some of the evidence previously presented by Mengo, including the message that read: "Are you quick to melt?"Moller corroborated that the message was sent by Mbenenge."Again, incoming message and the WhatsApp ID 5902, screen name Mfanelu, and it was sent to 5395, Ms Independent. So again, the same incoming messages to the device for Ms Mengo but it shows there the chat message, 'What if we melt? Which is not impossible,' and the date and time June 20, 2021, 22:38. And again, it indicates it's an incoming message."Despite this, a technical challenge for the tribunal will be determining that Mbenenge indeed sent the messages.
While indeed originating from his device, the panel noted that it could, however, have been sent by another party.
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