Malesela Teffo has opened a case of fraud against the two judges who disbarred him. In September 2022, Teffo, perhaps best known for representing four of the men accused of murdering former Bafana Bafana goalkeeper Senzo Meyiwa, was struck from the roll of advocates.

Predating Teffo's involvement in the Meyiwa trial, where he later withdrew as counsel, the Legal Practice Council (LPC) had received numerous complaints against him.

These complaints included disrespectful and contemptuous behaviour in court, misleading the court, assault, and the misappropriation of monies from clients.

The LPC eventually approached the Gauteng High Court (Pretoria), asking that Teffo be struck from the roll of advocates, reports News24. 

In their judgment, Judge Thembi Bokako and Judge Justice Nyathi found that Teffo lacked a sense of responsibility, honesty, integrity, and no longer met the threshold of a fit and proper person.

The court found that he had misappropriated funds from clients – which Bokako said was tantamount to theft – had misled the courts, breached a court order, and noted his contemptuous behaviour in court.

Teffo was subsequently disbarred.

In a bid to overturn the judgment, Teffo launched a rescission application, but later abandoned it and pursued an application for variation.

In his variation application, he argues there was no history of the LPC having filed any application against him. Therefore, he was never disbarred, because of possible duplication or error of case numbers. 

This argument was based on the emergence of two cases with the same case number, 10991/2021, an argument dismissed by several advocates who told News24 that duplication or errors in case numbers often happens, but has no material effect on the case itself.

Nevertheless the duplication or clerical error in the case numbers remains the mainstay of his arguments.

In the variation application, Teffo again asserts that the wrong parties were cited in the strike-off application based on the case number. He also questioned the court's quorum because Nyathi was incorrectly listed as an ‘honourable madam justice’ in the court order.

‘Therefore, on that basis of an error of quorum of the court has been committed by the court itself whereby the gender of one of the justices was misrepresented, the judgment and court order becomes grossly defective…,’ Teffo said.

‘Therefore, on the basis of fraudulent suspicions, the application has reported the criminal case for fraud for further investigation whereby the existence of two case numbers must be looked into, namely 24311/2021 and 10911/2021.’

Teffo adds that both Bokako and Nyathi must be approached to depose affidavits to assist with the criminal investigation. 

Police confirmed a fraud case had been opened by Teffo, who was claiming that the judgment was unlawful and fraudulent.

Police spokesperson Colonel Mavela Masondo said the matter was still under investigation, notes News24.

Responding to the opening of a criminal case, the LPC said it would not speak on behalf of the court, except to highlight the fact that Teffo has persisted with his regrettable attack on the court and many others without any discernible evidence justifying such attacks. 

Full News24 report