Teffo vows not to walk away from Meyiwa trial
ADVOCATE Malesela Teffo has vowed not to walk away from the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial although he has received numerous death threats and his life is in danger.
Teffo is calling for those responsible for Meyiwa’s murder to be brought to book. “I will never walk away, cautiously I have committed myself to justice …” said Teffo.
He was speaking yesterday during a broadcast interview where he addressed his arrest and what he called a conspiracy to get him to get him off the trial.
Teffo is currently representing four murder suspects in the case of the slain soccer player Meyiwa.
Teffo said he was approached by Sifiso Meyiwa. “I am not getting paid for this. My aspiration or involvement is to make sure that wherever Senzo is, (he) is getting peace and, if I say, I am getting threats … then who is not going to get threats?” asked Teffo.
He said he believed that Meyiwa’s real murderers are still at large.
“The relevant people who should come and tell the court what happened on October 26, 2014, are still outside; they are free, they are not in cold places like correctional centres like my clients who are now suffering for nothing.”
He had a message for those trying to threaten him with death: “We all have an appointment with death, one day we are all going to perish,” he said.
Teffo, a former police officer, believes he was targeted by Police Minister Bheki Cele over a “beef“which dated to 2020.
“About 60% of people who are in jail are innocent. Even myself I have been in jail taken in by police by the order of Cele and the head honchos in the police. From July 22 to 27, 2020, I was in Johannesburg Correctional Centre (Sun City) … for nothing …” said Teffo.
He said he was being called names. “Cele called me a problematic advocate and the enemy of the state. Yes, I agree I am a problematic advocate to the people who are corrupt, to the racists. I am not the enemy of the state but the enemy of the corrupt people within the state.”
On April 28, Teffo was arrested for contempt of court and was released on bail of R10 000, which he said the public had paid for because they loved him.
During the arrest, Teffo had said that Cele was behind it in an effort to get him out of the trial.
“This dates back to July 22, 2020, where I was arrested from the provincial office of Johannesburg while I was representing SAPS who had been dismissed. I phoned Cele and told him I did not know the reason for my arrest. Cele told me to speak to the then acting provincial commissioner, the late Major-General Johan Ndlovu.
“Cele was not happy with my involvement in this matter (Meyiwa) ...
“Cele is under pressure to deliver because he promised President Cyril Ramaphosa that he would,” Teffo said.
Ndlovu died last week in what was reported to be a “mysterious” death and Teffo said he was heartbroken.
The National Prosecuting Authority said that Ndlovu was not regarded as a crucial witness. After Teffo’s arrest, during an interview with a broadcaster, Cele said he was shocked to hear allegations that he was behind the arrest.
“Ministers are not aware who is going to be arrested and not arrested. I had no knowledge of Teffo or anybody who was arrested,” Cele said.
Teffo said he hoped the trial would resume on May 30. He said the State had about 118 witnesses, and about 12 were said to be in a safe house because they feared for their lives.