Pretoria – The Hillbrow Magistrate’s Court has cancelled the warrant of arrest which was issued in January against advocate Malesela Teffo, who represents four of the five accused men in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial.
Through his attorney, advocate Tshepo Thobane, Teffo told the court that he skipped the January 27 court date because he had Covid-19.
The court cancelled the warrant of arrest, and postponed the hearing for the unspecified offence to May 27.
Thobane told the court that his client had missed two previous court appearances because he had Covid-19 on both occasions.
Teffo reportedly faces charges of trespassing, after he allegedly visited the SAPS offices in Gauteng. The case is unrelated to the Meyiwa murder trial, according to reports.
Earlier, Thobane told journalists that the dramatic arrest of Teffo inside the High Court in Pretoria on Thursday would be addressed fully in a media briefing.
“We will not be taking it up with this court (in Hillbrow) but definitely we will take it up, somewhere with another court. It will be upon his instructions. As he told me, we are not to talk much to the media until he is out then we will have a press conference,” said Thobane.
He said Teffo’s arrest did not affect the Meyiwa murder trial and Teffo would be representing his clients when the trial resumed.
“That trial will continue and he will be there,” said Thobane.
During the arrest, Teffo accused Police Minister Bheki Cele of masterminding his detention.
Several police officers pounced on the legal representative inside the high court building, leaving tongues wagging.
The videos of dozens of police officers mobbing the lawyer shortly after the adjournment of the Meyiwa murder trial have been trending, with many questioning the SAPS’s seemingly heavy-handed actions.
Teffo was arrested in full view of journalists who were in court to report on the murder trial. Teffo, who is a former police officer, was handcuffed by the SAPS officers and taken away.
When asked why he was arrested, Teffo told journalists that Cele was behind his arrest and that he was being arrested for being involved in the Meyiwa murder trial.
Teffo was also heard protesting that the police officers had neither read him his rights nor informed him of the charges.
Cele, however, told broadcaster Newzroom Afrika that he was unaware of the arrest.
“Well, I received the message on the phone, the spokesperson Lirandzu (Themba) saying that the advocate has been arrested and, a few minutes later, at 3.41pm, I received a message that the accusation is that the arrest is pushed by the Minister Bheki Cele and others. Then I immediately … (contacted) the national commissioner to get a full report of what happened and I wait for that report,” said Cele.
“Until I know what really happened, I am not able to comment on this matter.”
On Thursday, shortly before his arrest, Teffo told the court that there was a high-profile, well-orchestrated campaign to cover up Meyiwa’s murder because it involved politicians and senior police officers.
IOL