‘All systems go’: Malesela Teffo says his court case won’t impact Senzo Meyiwa trial

Advocate Malesela Teffo says his legal battles will not affect the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial after his common assault and trespassing case was postponed.

Teffo made a brief appearance in the Hillbrow Magistrate’s Court on Friday, where his lawyer, Tshepo Thobane, requested that the magistrate presiding over the advocate’s case recuse himself.

After hearing the matter, Magistrate Bradshaw  postponed Teffo’s case to July for submissions.

“Your matter is now postponed to the 8th of July back in this court.

“It is for the state to proceed to bring the application it wishes to bring together with the court dealing with the application by the defence to recuse itself in the matter. Your bail is extended until then at 08:30 on the 8th of July,” the magistrate said.

ALSO READ: Advocate Teffo’s arrest disrespected court, must be probed, says General Council of the Bar

Teffo, who is currently out on R10,000 bail, is the defence advocate representing four of the suspects accused of murdering former Bafana Bafana captain Senzo Meyiwa in 2014.

He has since said his court case won’t have an impact on the Meyiwa trial.

“It will be all systems go. Whatever has been happening, there are side shows and everything, is definitely not going to have an impact [on the trial]. We are going to proceed with witness one of the state,” he told SABC outside the court.

On 28 April, police arrived at the Pretoria High Court April to arrest Teffo while the murder trial was underway.

The police said at the time that Teffo was arrested because he missed a previous court appearance.

Arrest warrant

Teffo was previously arrested by police on charges of common assault and trespassing after allegedly assaulting a female officer member and entering the South African Police Service (Saps) Gauteng provincial building, in contravention of a high court interdict prohibiting him from entering the premises.

The advocate failed to appear before the magistrate’s court on several occasions including on 27 January 2022, according to Saps.

A warrant of arrest was then issued and withheld.

ALSO READ: NPA throws Saps under the bus over Teffo arrest

“The case was remanded to 10 February 2022. Advocate Teffo was again not in court, and bail was finally forfeited to the state.

“An instruction was then issued by the court for the warrant of arrest to be executed,” Police spokesperson Colonel Athlenda Mathe said.

According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for the Gauteng local division was not consulted and did not sanction the execution of the warrant of arrest against Teffo in court.

Compiled by Molefe Seeletsa