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Mail & Guardian
2 days ago
- Politics
- Mail & Guardian
Judge Selby Mbenenge's former secretary says he was at the bank during alleged flashing incident
Eastern Cape judge president, Selby Mbenenge. (Judges Matter) Eastern Cape Judge President Selby Mbenenge's former secretary, Zintle Nkqayi, on Wednesday corroborated his denial that he Mengo, the former clerk of another judge in the division, In Mbenenge has Nkqayi worked as Mbenenge's secretary from 2020 until she resigned in April 2025, citing bad treatment by colleagues who supported Mengo. Questioned by Mbenenge's counsel, Griffiths Madonsela, who focused on 14 November 2021, the day the alleged indecent exposure took place, Nkqayi testified that the judge president had gone to the bank at the time of the alleged incident and had lawyers waiting for him at his chambers for a consultation. She said she never left her desk and did not see any flashing, adding that when Mbenenge returned from the bank, she accompanied him to deliver a lecture to students and then they went to court. Madonsela also questioned Nkqayi about an incident that allegedly occurred on 28 May 2021 at the high court in Makhanda, where Mbenenge is said to have hugged the court manager in his chambers. According to Mengo, she had gone to the judge president's office to make a complaint about the court manager before leaving. She says she then returned shortly after, and saw Mbenenge hugging the court manager. Nkqayi testified that on that date, Mengo asked to see the judge president and afterwards he met the court manager and the court registrar, but the hugging incident did not take place. Nkqayi disputed Mengo's claim that she was the last person to leave Mbenenge's office, stating that Mengo left in the morning after she complained about the court manager. In another incident alleged to have happened at the high court in Mthatha, Mengo alleges that she walked past Mbenenge's office and was subjected to inappropriate remarks.. In her testimony about the incident, Nkqayi said Mbenenge commented about Mengo's dressing in a joking manner, asking her: 'What is it, big girl? Why are you wearing a curtain today? Do you see how other children are dressed?' According to Nkqayi, Mengo responded that she would not be in court that day but would instead be working on appeals, before walking off. Asked by Madonsela whether such conversations were unusual, Nkqayi said Mbenenge usually made remarks about how people were doing and whether they were dressed appropriately. Nkqayi said she could no longer continue working at the court after the judge president left, citing bad treatment. She said the pressure and depression led her to the brink of admission to a mental institution. She decided to stay at home to avoid worsening her mental health. Counsel for the complainant, Rajab-Budlender, had requested permission to cross-examine Mbenenge and his witnesses, but Scheepers asked Nkqayi how she could remember conversations that happened three years ago when nothing significant happened, to which the witness responded that she consulted her diary and the meetings involved the court manager. The evidence leader queried whether Nkqayi was at her desk the entire day, suggesting there may have been moments when the court manager could have entered Mbenenge's office when Mengo returned and saw them hugging. Madonsela interjected and read Mengo's affidavit where she said that Nkqayi was at her desk when she went into Mbenenge's office and saw the hugging incident. Scheepers conceded that this detail in Mengo's affidavit differed from her testimony at the tribunal that Nkqayi was not at her desk. Ngoepe said Scheepers should present both versions of Mengo's statements to Nkqayi instead of choosing just one. Mbenenge is expected to testify before the tribunal concludes on 11 July.
IOL News
2 days ago
- Politics
- IOL News
Zintle Nkqayi's testimony sheds light on sexual harassment allegations against Judge President Mbenenge
Judges' Secretary Zintle Nkqayi will enter her third day of testimony on Thursday before the Judicial Conduct Tribunal against judge president Selby Mbenenge, who faces sexual harassment charges. Image: Supplied / Judicial Conduct Tribunal Judges' Secretary Zintle Nkqayi will enter her third day of testimony on Thursday before the Judicial Conduct Tribunal against judge president Selby Mbenenge who faces sexual harassment charges. Nkqayi, who first worked as a stenographer in Bisho before being transferred to work as Mbenenge's secretary from 2020, is the first witness called by JP Mbenenge's legal team. During cross examination on Wednesday, Nkqayi spoke of a hugging incident, where sexual harassment complainant Andiswa Mengo is alleged to have seen JP Mbenenge hugging a court manager in his chambers on 28 May 2021, saying that it 'could be something that is not true'. According to Nkqayi's testimony, when questioned by advocate Muzi Sikhakhane, she affirmed that it could have happened that Mengo witnessed the hugging incident when she 'popped her head in the office'. 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 Tribunal also heard that Nkqayi left her job as a secretary in April this year due to a toxic work environment following JP Mbenenge's departure. According to Nkqayi, she made the decision to leave her job owing to ill-treatment at the office which could result in her becoming depressed and potentially ending up in a mental institution and she made the choice to leave 'before it came to that point'. Nkqayi, undergoing cross examination by senior state Advocate Salomé Scheepers, evidence leader for the Tribunal, was grilled about her meticulous recollection of 14 November 2021. Nkqayi said she had noted the events in her diary and 'from memory, my memory is fine'. The date relates to the day Mengo alleged she was in JP Mbenenge's office, where he made a sexual harassment advance to her, asking her to perform oral sex on him in his chambers. According to Mengo, JP Mbenenge told her to look at the effect she has on him and showed her his genitalia. It is Mengo's version that she then declined and left the JP's chambers. This week, Tribunal chairperson, retired judge Bernard Ngoepe, denied the application brought by Nasreen Rajab-Budlender on behalf of her client Mengo to question the witnesses set to be brought by JP Mbenenge's legal counsel. JP Mbenenge will be one of the four witnesses to state his case at the Tribunal. Cross-examination by evidence leader Scheepers will continue tomorrow.
