Selby Mfanelo Mbenenge (born 18 March 1961) is the Judge President of the Eastern Cape Division of the High Court of South Africa.
[1][3] After completing his BJuris in 1984, Mbenenge began his legal career as a regional court prosecutor in Butterworth, though he later transferred to Mthatha in order to continue his LLB studies part-time.
[5] He was the third and final lawyer appointed to the chair the hearing; in May 2013, he cleared Breytenbach of all charges, finding that she had been subject to "victimisation" by the National Prosecuting Authority's leadership.
[12] In September 2015, two months after Mbenenge joined the bench, the Judicial Service Commission shortlisted him as one of three candidates for the position of Deputy Judge President of the Bhisho High Court in the Eastern Cape Division.
[15] Nonetheless, after the interviews, the commission recommended another candidate, acting Deputy Judge President David van Zyl, for the position.
[4] In October 2017, he returned to the Judicial Service Commission as a candidate to succeed Sangoni as Judge President of the Eastern Cape Division.
In the judgement, Mbenenge overturned a directive of the Eastern Cape Department of Education which had the effect of barring undocumented children (both immigrants and South Africans without identity documents) from public schools in the province.
[25] The Judicial Conduct Committee (comprising appellate judges Dumisani Zondi, Tati Makgoka, and Nolwazi Mabindla-Boqwana) held a one-day hearing into the complaint in July 2023; Mbenenge was represented by Wim Trengove and two other silks.
[26] In September, the committee found that there was a prima facie case of gross misconduct against Mbenenge and recommended that a judicial conduct tribunal should be appointed to investigate the substance of Mengo's complaint.
[2] He is also a singer and has been a member of several choral groups, including the Joybells Quartet, with whom he produced two albums,[1] and East London's Summerpride Seventh Day Adventist Church Choir.