By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Malesela Daniel Teffo, the former advocate in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial, has been struck off the roll.
An application by the Legal Practice Council (LPC) to have Teffo disbarred from practising law was successful, with the Pretoria High Court delivering its ruling on Friday.
The LPC had filed a motion in March 2021 after it received just over 20 complaints, dating back from 2015, against Teffo.
The LPC this week told the court it had received 22 complaints against Teffo of misconduct, ranging from corruption allegations to alleged misappropriation of funds. Counsel for the LPC said that apart from these, there was at present an investigation against Teffo regarding corruption charges.
“He is not a fit and proper person to act as an advocate… It is not simply a matter that he had a moral lapse, we received 22 individual complaints, ” Advocate Mfesana Ka-Sibotho said.
Teffo was admitted as an advocate on January 5 2009 and practised as a referral advocate.
“Advocate Teffo is hereby removed from the Roll of Legal Practitioners,” said Acting Judge Thembi Bokako, alongside Judge Justice Nyathi, while reading the judgment.
Judge Bokako also ordered Teffo to surrender his practicing certificate.
“The respondent must surrender and deliver his certificate of enrolment as a legal practitioner to the registrar of this court,” she said.
Teffo has further been prohibited from handling or operating banking accounts he used to receive payments from clients.