Pretoria – The High Court in Pretoria has found that advocate Malesela Teffo is “not fit” and struck him off the roll of advocates on Friday.
In June, Teffo gained notoriety, and admiration from some, while representing four men accused of killing Bafana Bafana star goalkeeper Senzo Meyiwa.
The ongoing murder trial taking place in the High Court in Pretoria, has been marked by twists and turns, but none had prepared South Africans who have been religiously following the case, for the “f***ed up situation” remarks made in court, in the presence of a judge, by advocate Teffo.
The impassioned counsel, made the remarks while cross-examining police forensic expert Sergeant Thabo Johannes Mosia, who he accused of lying in a bid to cover-up what actually transpired on the fateful night on October 26, 2014, at the Kelly Khumalo home where Meyiwa was killed.
On Friday, the court ruled that Teffo, who had been accused of misconduct and misappropriation of funds, was not fit to continue as a legal practitioner. At least 22 complaints were brought against him.
The court also ordered Teffo to surrender all his legal documents.
Last week, the superior court reserved judgment in an application to have Teffo’s name struck from the roll of advocates.
The court, however, promised to deliver its judgment as soon as possible, but the two judges presiding over the matter, said they needed to thoroughly consider the application brought by the Legal Practice Council (LPC).
Pretoria News reported that armed with no court documents, other than a copy of the Constitution, Teffo faced the judges in a bid to save his career. He blamed a range of entities for the allegations of misconduct brought against him.
“It is clear from the so-called applicant (the LPC) submissions that I am here because of the courts, the police, the national prosecuting authority and the office of the president of this country. They are all victimising me,” Teffo told Judge Stanley Nyathi and Acting Judge T Bokako.
In a bizarre set of events, while the judges were telling the court that judgment was reserved, Teffo kept on interrupting them by telling them he wanted an order compelling the LPC to hand over the file with all the allegations against him.
Judge Bokako patiently tried to explain to him that the court had reserved judgment in the application to have him struck from the roll and that the court had just given a ruling - that judgment was reserved.
But Teffo would have nothing of this. He kept demanding the file containing the allegations. While he was still stating his demands in this regard, Judge Nyathi announced that the court was adjourned.
The LPC this week told the court it had received 22 complaints against Teffo of misconduct, ranging from corruption allegations to alleged misappropriation of funds. Counsel for the LPC said that apart from these, there was at present an investigation against Teffo regarding corruption charges.
“He is not a fit and proper person to act as an advocate… It is not simply a matter that he had a moral lapse, we received 22 individual complaints,” Advocate Mfesana Ka-Sibotho said.
But Teffo said he was an advocate of good standing and did not fear these “faceless people” who complained. “I only fear God,” he told the court.
IOL