Mello is the second witness called to the stand by the top judge as he presents his version of events.

He has given evidence to the tribunal on his assessment of the use of emojis between Judges’ Secretary, Andiswa Mengo and Selby Mbenenge. He testified that in his observation, over 90% of the usage of emojis in the pair’s electronic communication was consistent with the meanings ascribed to the emojis in the uni-code, except for two: the eggplant and peach emoji.

Mengo alleges that she was sexually harassed by the top judge via in-person interactions and electronic communication between June 2021 and November 2022, an allegation Mbenenge denies.

--SABC-