Notorious defence attorney Malesela Teffo was, on Friday, struck from the roll of advocates, effectively putting an end to his legal career as we knew it.
Why was Malesela Teffo struck from the roll of advocates?
The Gauteng High Court announced the decision in Pretoria following an application by the Legal Practice Council.
As reported by News24, Teffo was, among other accusations, found guilty of misleading the court on numerous occasions;
- being in contempt of court;
- breaching several court orders;
- consulting with clients without necessarily attaining permission or scheduling briefs with respective attorneys; and
- misusing funds received from clients.
It seems, Teffo’s courtroom antics in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial, which he was removed from by the clients he represented, were the least of his problems.
In fact, it’s believed there are at least 22 active cases of misconduct levelled against Teffo, where it’s claimed he misappropriated monies received from clients.
“This court is convinced that Teffo’s conducts no longer meet the requisite threshold of a fit and proper person, and is satisfied that the LPC has proved its case on balance of probabilities that Teffo is not a fit and proper person and that his countenance in practising would involve danger to the public or the good name of the profession,” the court ruled.
What does this mean for Teffo’s legal career?
Malesela Teffo, now no longer recognised as a ‘fit and proper’ attorney in South Africa’s legal system, has two weeks to submit his certificate of enrolment as a practitioner to the court.
If he fails to honour this ruling, the sheriff of the court will be summoned to collect the certificate from Teffo’s known home address. The bank account Teffo used to operate his legal business will be frozen and administered by an appointed curator.
In short, the buck stops here for Teffo’s career in the legal industry. The eccentric lawyer, who’s garnered a bad reputation as a courtroom heckler not afraid of hurling impurities at judges, has yet to surface with a reaction to the Gauteng High Court ruling.
Here are some of the reactions we picked out from a divided social media: