Former Advocate Malesela Teffo – who was earlier disbarred because of his antics and unprofessional behaviour – is not a man who gives up, says a Pretoria News report.

Teffo is now fighting a suspended jail sentence while actually being in the Johannesburg Prison awaiting trial.

The former Senzo Meyiwa murder trial defence advocate has once again turned to the Gauteng High Court (Pretoria), this time in a bid to obtain leave to appeal against a suspended sentence of a year behind bars for contempt of court.

Nearly a year ago, Judge Brenda Neukircher ruled in favour of the Legal Practice Council, which had lodged the contempt of court order as Teffo had simply ignored the fact that he was struck from the roll of advocates in 2022.

At the time, Teffo was accused of misconduct and misappropriation of funds by a number of clients who complained that despite them paying he never rendered services.

Neukircher slapped him with a year behind bars sentence, but she gave him a lifeline as she suspended this, provided he toed the line and stopped practising.

He was meanwhile arrested and detained last year on charges of malicious damage to property, trespassing, and assault. He is still behind bars, awaiting trial, which has been delayed since Teffo on several occasions refused to appear in court.

Teffo’s lawyers meanwhile withdrew as his legal team (Teffo said he fired them), which Neukircher said was somewhat problematic as he is representing himself in his leave to appeal bid, while in jail (for trespassing and other charges).

However – says the Pretoria News report – she noted his reasons for leave to appeal were, however, the same as his reasons raised previously for opposing his contempt application.

While still in jail, Teffo meanwhile provided the court with his argument in his latest application, which included that the court in granting the contempt order, had ‘grossly violated’ his rights, as he was never given the opportunity to give his side of the story, as he was, and still is, in jail.

He demanded that the court overturn its contempt finding. He also complained that he is being detained illegally (on the criminal charges) and accused the judge of being ‘comfortable’ with the fact that he is behind bars, as she went ahead with the main contempt application without ‘asking for my whereabouts’.

‘You have been biased and discriminated against me on the basis of race, because I am an African advocate,’ Teffo told the judge.

He said she was ‘exposed’ as she earlier asked the prison authorities to bring the ‘prisoner’ or ‘accused’ to court.

‘This is the attitude of a so-called white judge, referring to an African advocate in this country. I am not short of calling you racist, but it is what it is, for your information Madam,’ (sic) Teffo said in his latest submissions.

He further called on the judge to order the prison to release him.

Neukircher turned down Teffo’s latest attempt for leave to appeal, as she found that there were no prospects that he would succeed on appeal.

Full Pretoria News report in The Star