The Black Lawyers Association (BLA) says that the scathing judgement that led to Malesela Teffo being struck of the roll, was warranted. Teffo was not only struck off the roll of legal practitioners, he was also ordered to return his certificate of enrolment as legal practitioner to the Registrar of the Court.
He had represented four of the accused in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial. BLA President Bayethe Maswazi, says Teffo, clearly did not adhere to the the ethics that govern the legal profession and did not have a sense of integrity.
“The strike off in our view was warranted, given his conduct. A person who commits those kind of misdemeanors cannot be allowed to practice, and of course the court is also required to consider whether suspension is an appropriate sanction to impose upon that pereson. But in this circumstances, it does appear that the court did not consider that, and I think that is because of the nature of transgressions that were committed by advocate Teffo”, says Maswazi.
Misdemeanors
The Legal Practice Council brought an application before the court for Teffo to either be suspended or struck from the roll. The council received numerous complaints against Teffo, some pre-dating the Senzo Meyiwa trial. These include contemptuous behaviour in court and misleading the court.
Reaction of Teffo disbandment, 16 September 2022:
