Latest news with #OfficeoftheChiefJustice
IOL News
5 days ago
- IOL News
Judge's secretary gets written death threat amid harassment inquiry
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.
IOL News
6 days ago
- Health
- IOL News
Andiswa Mengo's death threat underscores the risks for women confronting harassment
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, is condemning the recent death threat sent to Mengo. This is after it has been reported that Mengo received a handwritten note left at her desk at court on Friday, in which it was said, 'a bullet is waiting for you'. In a statement, the Women's Legal Centre confirmed the incident in which 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. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ The Judicial Conduct Tribunal is conducting a hearing into sexual harassment complaints 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 Judicial Conduct 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, accompanied by the exchange of emojis between them, 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. He acknowledged the flirting between them but denied the sordid details as testified by her.
The Citizen
16-05-2025
- Politics
- The Citizen
Pretoria High Court officials suspended amid fraud and corruption probe
Three officials from the Pretoria High Court have been placed on precautionary suspension following allegations of fraud and corruption. This is according to the Office of the Chief Justice (OCJ). 'The three officials, who cannot be named at this time, are suspects in an ongoing investigation by the South African Police Service's Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks), looking into fraudulent and corrupt activities in the court. 'The OCJ takes a zero-tolerance approach to fraud and corruption, and the officials were therefore placed on precautionary suspension to allow investigations to proceed without being compromised,' the OCJ said in a statement. News of the suspensions comes days after Chief Justice Mandisa Maya visited the Mthatha High Court in the Eastern Cape, following reports that officials at the court are allegedly involved in a bribery scheme. The scheme reportedly involves soliciting payments from advocates to perform tasks already within the scope of their jobs, including locating missing files, transcriptions, and allocating trial dates. An internal and criminal investigation by SAPS has also been launched in this regard. At the time, the OCJ said it had become aware of the allegations in December 2024. 'Subsequently, the OCJ instituted a forensic investigation in line with the organisation's Fraud Prevention and Anti-Corruption Policy while working closely with relevant law enforcement agencies. 'Accordingly, the department took a prudent approach to releasing specific details on its ongoing investigation to the media so as not to jeopardise any future legal processes or further investigations that may ensue. 'The OCJ reiterates that it is dependent on all stakeholders in the fight against fraud and corruption, including the media, to act in a manner that safeguards the integrity of the processing of legitimate complaints,' the office said. – Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp channel. Nuus wat saakmaak. Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus op Facebook en sluit aan by ons WhatsApp-kanaal. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
IOL News
13-05-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Judicial Conduct Tribunal postpones hearing for Judge President Selby Mbenenge
Judge President Selby Mbenenge is accused of sending complainant Andiswa Mengo untoward WhatsApp chats over an extended period. JP Mbenenge is accused of sexual harassment and misconduct. The Tribunal hearing has been postponed. Image: Office of the Chief Justice The Judicial Conduct Tribunal dealing with sexual harassment and misconduct complaints against Eastern Cape High Court Judge President (JP) Selby Mbenenge has hit another delay after proceedings were postponed on Tuesday. JP Mbenenge is accused of sending complainant Andiswa Mengo untoward WhatsApp chats over an extended period and in one incident it is alleged the he asked Mengo to engage in a sexual act in his chambers. Mengo lodged the complaints in December 2022. On Tuesday morning the hearing was scheduled to deal with the testimony of gender expert Lisa Vetten but following a discussion in chambers, retired Justice Bernard Ngoepe announced that the Tribunal would be postponed to allow Mbenenge's legal team to properly prepare. This followed after Ngoepe made a ruling that they, erring on the side of caution, would allow the testimony of Vetten to be heard and would later decide the relevance of it. Mbenenge's legal team objected to Vetten going ahead with her testimony on the grounds that the summary of her evidence was not delivered on time. The matter was set down for further Tribunal hearing from 30 June to 11 July. Andiswa Mengo Image: Office of the Chief Justice Making the ruling, Ngoepe said: 'We should rather allow evidence, even though there are arguments about its relevance, allow it nevertheless to be given. We allow it to be given because we are confident that if it is irrelevant, we will be able to hold accordingly at any time, even at the end of that evidence, we will say that it is irrelevant and put it aside. 'Contrast that with a situation where you exclude evidence which might well be relevant and material. We think in that case, we would have erred. Our resolve is that we should allow her to give her evidence and there would be no prejudice to anybody,' said Ngoepe. Up to this week, the Tribunal has heard the testimony of a number of witnesses called by evidence leader, Salome Scheepers and which had to be tested by both counsel to Mengo and Mbenenge. This included the testimony of former Judicial Service Commission secretary Kutlwano Moretlwe's version of events, which, in part, dealt with the misplaced initial sexual harassment complaint. The initial complaint was handed to the former Chief Justice Raymond Zondo on December 12, 2022 however, according to Moretlwe, this complaint was misplaced and Zondo had contacted Moretlwe to inform her of the incident. Another witness, forensic and legal linguist and researcher, Dr Zakeera Docrat, confirmed that the context in which emojis were sent to Mengo by JP Mbenenge depicted sexual acts. A colleague of Mengo, Ntomboxolo Jobela testified that Mengo confided in her about the messages sent to her by JP Mbenenge and shared with her the explicit pictures she had allegedly received from him. [email protected]
Daily Maverick
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Maverick
Chief Justice to visit Mthatha High Court over bribery allegations
The visit follows the submission of an anonymous letter to the acting Eastern Cape judge president, detailing how Mthatha officials allegedly solicit bribes from attorneys before doing routine tasks. South Africa's Chief Justice Mandisa Maya will visit the Mthatha High Court on Tuesday in the wake of allegations that the court's administrative officials demand bribe payments from attorneys of up to R15,000 before processing civil cases before the court. The Office of the Chief Justice, the government department that provides administrative support to South Africa's high courts and judges, confirmed on Friday night that Maya will be briefed in Mthatha by acting Eastern Cape Judge President Zamani Nhlangulela. 'The OCJ appreciates the public interest generated by the perception of impropriety in the Mthatha High Court and is prepared to account fully and transparently to the public on this matter in due course,' it said. It was the department's first acknowledgment of the existence of an anonymous letter of complaint submitted to Nhlangulela and then acting deputy judge president of the Mthatha court, Bantubonke Tokota, in December 2024, and the first indication that Maya was attending to the allegations of corruption contained in the letter. Earlier, Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development Mmamoloko Kubayi expressed 'grave concern' over the 'deeply troubling and wholly unacceptable' allegations. Kubayi briefly met Mthatha judges and court manager Mzwabantu Mhlontlo last week following a visit to the family of prosecutor Elona Sombulula, who was shot dead outside his home in Bityi on 29 April. She committed to 'ensuring the integrity of the courts and protecting the rights of all who rely on the justice system', directing officials in her department to work closely with other government officials to verify the allegations and ensure a thorough investigation was carried out. The anonymous letter detailed how Mthatha officials allegedly solicited bribes from attorneys before doing routine tasks such as retrieving supposedly 'missing' case files (for a bribe of R2,000 per file), allocating court dates (a bribe of up to R15,000 per date), transcribing court orders (R5,000) and expediting the taxation of legal costs (R15,000). The letter named nine officials accused of extorting bribes. These officials work in various departments and range from junior typists to senior managers. They included the court's registrar, Babalwa Sidima. Both Maya and the OCJ kept mum for five months about the letter and the allegations it contained. On 5 May Daily Maverick published details of an investigation by the Southern Africa Accountability Journalism Project to corroborate the allegations in the letter, including interviewing more than 20 attorneys and advocates who regularly work in the Mthatha court. The gist of that investigation was that 'blatant' corrupt practices in the Mthatha court went back over two decades, were an open secret and known by 'everyone', although attorneys were unwilling to come forward with formal complaints for fear of being victimised by their colleagues or court officials. Reporters sent a detailed request for comment to the two senior EC judges, and copied it to Maya, the acting superintendent general in the OCJ, advocate Marelize Potgieter, and OCJ spokesperson Lindokuhle Nkomonde. In response the OCJ said it had 'zero tolerance for fraud and corruption' and treated such complaints 'with seriousness, urgency and sensitivity'. But it also warned journalists 'to act in a manner that safeguards the integrity of the processing of legitimate complaints'. Friday night's OCJ statement on Maya's visit to Mthatha reiterated this reference to 'all stakeholders in the fight against fraud and corruption, including the media' safeguarding processes. The statement also revealed that the OCJ had instituted a forensic investigation after receiving the December 2024 anonymous letter and was working closely on the matter with 'relevant law enforcement agencies'. It said that on Tuesday Maya will be briefed by Nhlangulela and will discuss expediting the roll-out of the Court Online system in the division, the OCJ confirmed. Court Online is an electronic system that allows attorneys' firms and litigants to manage court administrative processes in their cases before the court – including the submission of documentation such as affidavits – online. It has been fully implemented in the Gauteng High Court and is being rolled out across the country. In her comments through spokesperson Terence Manase, Kubayi also raised the prospect of the online platform 'reducing opportunities for misconduct', through 'automated court date allocations to help prevent fraudulent practices such as the selling of court dates'. She confirmed that training for Court Online users at the Mthatha High Court would be conducted in the coming weeks. Representative bodies for legal professionals in the Eastern Cape also commented on the corruption allegations. The Mthatha chairperson of the National Association of Democratic Lawyers, Odwa Nyembezi, said that no formal complaints had been brought forward 'but as practising attorneys, we have heard rumours. If this is true, this would delay the justice clients so desperately seek. Practitioners who have been affected should come forward.' Wild Coast Attorneys' Association chairperson Vuyani Msindo agreed that it was impossible to act on rumours: 'As things stand, no one has come forward to say court officials have solicited bribes from them. Our hands are tied because all we have now is hearsay.' The Black Lawyers Association's EC deputy chairperson, Odwa Mgxaji, dismissed the corruption allegations as unfounded, while stating the organisation was 'aware of orders getting delayed and files going missing'. Delays were due to the large number of law firms in Mthatha and the volume of litigation against the Road Accident Fund. 'Act decisively' Academics in the University of the Western Cape's law faculty called on the Legal Practice Council to 'act decisively and institute proceedings where necessary' against attorneys involved in bribery of Mthatha officials. Professors Abraham Hamman and Robert Nanima acknowledged that providing infrastructure and technology to digitise systems was crucial in preventing corruption and ensuring efficiency in the courts. They said 'the only effective way' to address this corruption was 'to hold offenders accountable, whether through disciplinary action or criminal prosecution'. 'Lawyers must refrain from any conduct that involves paying or accepting bribes; such conduct is criminal and violates professional ethics. They must firmly and unequivocally reject any hint of bribery or quid pro quo arrangements. If approached by an official requesting payment for favours, lawyers have a duty to report such behaviour to that person's superiors.' But, the academics said the lack of whistle-blower and witness protection discouraged people from coming forward with information about corruption, and to testify under oath in criminal proceedings before the courts. 'The legal system requires formal charges, affidavits and testimony that can withstand cross-examination. Only when we reach this level of accountability will we be able to successfully prosecute offenders. 'One reason bribery occurs is that individuals believe they can get away with it, and there is a lack of accountability. The slow pace of justice and clogged court rolls create opportunities for unethical shortcuts.' The academics said that while there was 'no clear evidence to suggest that corruption' within the courts was systemic, 'the broader issue of systemic corruption in the country', as highlighted by the State Capture Commission, underpinned corruption by court officials. DM
