Teffo to work behind the scenes to get ‘real killers’ behind bars
ADVOCATE Malesela Teffo who represented four of the men accused of the murder of former Bafana Bafana goalkeeper Senzo Meyiwa has not abandoned his clients.
He now intends to get justice for them by securing the arrests of the seven people, including singer Kelly Khumalo, her sister Zandile and their mother, who were “present in the Vosloorus house and witnessed the murder”.
The advocate, who has caused a stir with his unconventional conduct in the Pretoria High Court, withdrew from the case on Tuesday citing harassment from the State and the court. He said a plan to harass him was devised in the office of President Cyril Ramaphosa. The presidency rejected the claim. Shortly after his withdrawal, Teffo said he was aggrieved and that the decision to withdraw was not an easy one.
He accused Judge Tshifhiwa Maumela of being biased and unprofessional and said he refused to be a part of a system that had become a circus.
“You cannot put an innocent person in court for sins they never committed. I cannot be part of this. What is happening in that court is injustice, the worst I have come across.
“There is a trial of seven people that should come but the court doesn't want us to go there. I am now going to pay full attention to case 375,” he said.
Case 375 is the second Meyiwa case opened in 2019 led by Lieutenant Joyce Buthelezi. The investigation concluded that there was no intruder, but that there were eight adults in the house including the deceased.
“The current docket was quashed and they brought it to life because they want to protect the people who were in that house.
“The house is being protected like a national key point. If Parliament was named after the lady in that house, that parliament would not have burned down because the name of this lady is so protected,” Teffo said.
Sinqobile Maphisa, the sister of Mthokoziseni Maphisa, one of the accused in the matter, said her family was not concerned by the withdrawal of the advocate, but that they trusted he would place the real killers behind bars.
“He has assured that the trial will continue with a different advocate, but instructing attorney TT Thobane will also continue with the trial. He has to step back and soon enough we will see arrests of those who were in the house.
“My brother is confident in the hands of the new team and that everything will go as it should,” she said.
The Black Lawyers Association expressed disappointment at Teffo’s decorum which it said had fallen below the requirements applicable in court.
The president of the association, Bayethe Maswazi, said Teffo applied unusual procedures and displayed unacceptable behaviour.
“At some point, he was asked not to de-robe inside the court. Every practitioner knows that an acceptable recognised convention is that counsel does not robe or de-robe in court, meaning once the court is sitting, you step outside to robe or de-robe,” he said.
On Teffo recusing himself, Maswazi said he found no correlation between the problems that the advocate highlighted and the basis for the withdrawal. “If there has been harassment against him by the NPA there are forums available for that issue to be addressed. If it is by the police, Ipid could be roped in to address that issue. There could be more, but he has not told us what the problem is.”