The final curtain has fallen on advocate Malesela Teffo’s wild courtroom antics after the Pretoria high court ordered on Friday that he be struck off the roll, saying he had “no regard for justice”.
The order, which followed months of increasingly scandalous behaviour from the legal showman, came a day after Teffo caused fresh drama in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial in the same court.
Teffo, who previously represented four of the accused but dramatically quit the case in July, stunned the court on Thursday when he marched in before proceedings started, put on his robe and approached the legal teams.
After a long discussion he tried to force his way into presiding judge Tshifhiwa Maumela’s chambers. He was followed by a group of armed officers into another room and did not return, apparently having been escorted out of the building.
It was not the first time he had disrupted the Mewiya trial. In April, he was arrested in the courtroom shortly after the trial adjourned for the day. He was handcuffed, led from the court and taken to the Hillbrow police station.
The arrest was in connection with charges of common assault and trespassing that were brought against him for allegedly assaulting a woman police officer and entering the Gauteng police headquarters in contravention of a high court interdict.
Earlier this year while cross-examining a police forensic witness, Teffo referred to the officer's testimony as “a f***ed-up situation”.
In July, he claimed a plan had been hatched in President Cyril Ramaphosa’s office to harass him because of his role in the Meyiwa trial. The presidency dismissed the accusation.
Later that month, after his withdrawal, he announced he would return to the case and issued a list of demands and allegations, including the accusation that Maumela had used witchcraft to try to force him out of the trial.
Teffo later said his withdrawal had been a “strategy to confuse the enemy”.
In the application to have him disbarred, Legal Practice Council (LPC) advocate Mfesane Ka-Siboto told the high court 22 complaints of malpractice had been lodged against Teffo.
The complaints, dating from 2015, included that he had placed a matter on an unopposed roll to secure a default judgment; assaulted and intimidated police officers; was being investigated for corrupt activities; had misled the labour court; failed to co-operate with the LPC investigations against him; and breached a court order.
On Friday judge Justice Nyathi and acting judge Thembi Bokako said Teffo’s conduct displayed dishonesty and a lack of integrity. The judges instructed him to surrender his certificate of enrolment as a legal practitioner to the registrar of the court.
It is evident in that extremely serious allegations have come to the attention of the [LPC] and [Teffo’s] conduct stands to jeopardise the integrity of the profession
— Acting judge Thembi Bokako
“It is evident in that extremely serious allegations have come to the attention of the [LPC] and [Teffo’s] conduct stands to jeopardise the integrity of the profession, [he] has been contemptuous of this court of which he is an officer and could further expose other legal practitioners as well as members of the public to practices which are unbecoming of an officer of this court,” said Bokako.
Teffo, who has practised as a referral advocate since 2009, was a no-show in court. He has previously denied the allegations against him and warned of “serious unrest” if he is struck off the roll.
Contacted on Friday, he refused to comment.
Meanwhile, five months into the high-profile murder case of the Bafana Bafana and Orlando Pirates goalkeeper, the third state witness, Tumelo Madlala, took the stand this week.
Madlala was a childhood friend of Meyiwa’s and was in the house in Vosloorus the night the soccer star was killed in 2014.
He testified that he was sitting in the lounge with Meyiwa, Meyiwa’s girlfriend Kelly Khumalo and others when armed men walked into the house, demanding money and cellphones. He said Meyiwa was shot after attacking one of the intruders.
Madlala said he tried to staunch the bleeding from the soccer star's wound while rushing him to hospital. He kissed Meyiwa on the forehead after he was declared dead.
The five accused are Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya, Bongani Ntanzi, Mthobisi Prince Mncube, Mthokoziseni Maphisa and Sifisokuhle Nkani Ntuli. They face charges of premeditated murder, attempted murder, robbery with aggravated circumstances, possession of firearms without a licence and possession of ammunition. They have pleaded not guilty.
Madlala said Ntanzi was the second man to enter the house and wrestled with Meyiwa in the kitchen before the fatal gunshot.
The hearing was adjourned to November 14.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.