It was a close race between Thulani Mngomezulu and his learned friend Charles Mnisi. The two seem to be competing to replace Malesela Teffo as the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial clown-in-chief. This week they took turns in turning judge Ratha Mokgoatlheng's courtroom into a circus.
Mnisi had to be called to order when he described a witness's testimony as “nonsense” — and Mokgoatlheng nearly lost his cool when Mnisi tried to force a witness to assure him that she would be neutral in giving her evidence.
However, it was Mngomezulu who stole the Mampara prize by trying to knock off early on Monday. He rose to request an early adjournment from the judge, claiming his eye was giving him problems he had left his eyedrops at home. An irritated Mokgoatlheng offered Mngomezulu his own eyedrops to allow the case to continue.
Mngomezulu wasn't done. He missed Friday's sitting without informing the judge directly. “When I say some advocates do not respect judges, people think I’m just being impossible,” is all the judge had say about this Mampara.
