Pretoria - Controversial advocate Malesela Teffo’s legal career is over - at least as far as the judgment by two judges of the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria goes.
Teffo was not at the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria today to receive the bad news, which he seemed to have anticipated.
At the start of the proceedings Judge Stanley Nyathi, who presided over the proceedings with Acting Judge T Bokako, noted that Teffo was not in court. He commented that his registrar did contact Teffo to advise him about the date of the judgment, but Teffo refused to speak to her.
They ruled in favour of an application by the Legal Practice Council to have him struck off the role following 22 complaints against him. In axing Teffo today, the judges said it was in the interest of the public and the legal fraternity not to allow him to practise law any further.
Some of the adverse findings the court had made against Teffo, was that he was dishonest and lacked integrity. He, among others, took money from a host of clients, to whom he afterwards refused to deliver any service to. When they tried to contact and confront him about this, he became abusive towards them.
The judges discussed each of the 22 complaints against him in their judgment, which also included a complaint by Deputy Judge President Roland Sutherland of the Johannesburg high court. He complained on behalf of Judge Winston Msimeki, to whom Teffo was disrespectful while he appeared before him in a case.
He, among others, told the judge that he was not “sober” and while the judge tried to interject as Teffo went off on a tangent of his own in court, he told the judge “just listen to me, I am talking.” The judges who struck him from the roll today, said Teffo was clearly disrespectful.
They pointed out that Teffo was given the opportunity to voice his side regarding each and every complaint against him. Instead Teffo simply gave a blanket denial of any wrongdoing and said that the claims by the “faceless people” held no water. He also claimed that the proceedings against him were unfair, as the LPC should have first held a disciplinary hearing before they ran to court.
But the judges said this is totally wrong, as the LPC is the legal watchdog, who had to look out for the profession and the interests of those it served.
The judges noted Teffo’s recent antics, where he wrote a letter to the National Prosecuting Authority after he had withdrawn as defence counsel in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial. He, among others, made bizarre utterances about the presiding judge in that case and claimed he was being harassed by the NDP, the SAPS and others.
But the judges said while it is safe to say he has no regard for the profession, they commented that they did not need to entertain this issue as the criminal trial is still ongoing.
A lengthy order was issued against him, which included that he must hand over his legal documents, including his certificate of admission within two weeks. If he refused, the sheriff was authorised to take it.
A curator was also appointed to deal with his bank accounts which relate to clients.
Pretoria News