This news aggregator site highlights South African labour news from a wide range of internet and print sources. Each posting has a synopsis of the source article, together with a link or reference to the original. Postings cover the range of labour related matters from industrial relations to generalist human resources.GroundUp reports that a forensic linguist told the Judicial Conduct Tribunal on Tuesday that Eastern Cape Judge President Selby Mbenenge’s use of banana, peach, eggplant and dripping syringe emojis had “sexual connotations” and indicated that he wanted to be intimate with the recipient.
Dr Zakeera Docrat was giving evidence before the tribunal probing allegations of gross misconduct against Mbenenge following a complaint of sexual harassment lodged by Andiswa Mengo. Their WhatsApp exchanges - many of them subsequently deleted by Mbenenge - were introduced into evidence by Mengo earlier this year. She testified that Mbenenge’s advances were unwanted and her responses - often with “hysterical laughing” and “embarrassed monkey” emojis - were because she did not know how else to react to his advances, as he was her boss. Mbenenge, through his counsel, has admitted sending some of the messages and claims the relationship was consensual. However, he has denied sending her a picture of his penis or asking her for oral sex in his chambers. Allegedly Mbenenge used eggplant and peach emojis in a message that he deleted but which Mengo saved before he did so. Docrat noted that the eggplant was a vegetable and the peach was a fruit “but in this context they were used to reflect a desire for intimacy”. The eggplant was the penis and the peach a vagina. She said this was clear because “they were not drawing up a shopping list”. Mbenenge’s advocate Griffits Madonsela told the panel that while they accepted Docrat’s qualifications, they disputed her expertise in emojis. Mbenenge is expected to call his own “emoji” expert. Cross examination is expected to continue on Wednesday.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Tania Broughton at GroundUp
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page