Former policeman and disbarred advocate, Teffo Malesela (54) has spent over a year in prison.The almost forgotten Teffo, who was representing some of the accused in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial, has been in Johannesburg Prison, otherwise known Sun City Prison, since August last year.

IN COURT TODAY

Teffo became famous when he was arrested in April 2022 in full view of cameras when at least five armed police officers from the South African Police Service's Tactical Response Team arrested him in the Pretoria High Court.

Teffo is set to appear today at the Kgosi Mampuru at Court 62 to face malicious damage to property and assault charges. The charges he is facing are for his second arrest while on R10 000 bail after failing to appear in court for contempt of court and trespassing. It was an old case, which he never appeared for but it is now back on the roll.

In September last year, Teffo appeared at the Johannesburg Magistrate's Court to face charges of trespassing and contempt of court - after his high profile arrest at the Meyiwa trial. Teffo's life and career were turned into disarray when Judge Winston Msimeki penned a judgment in March 2022, to officially take him off the Meyiwa case. The judgment was over his disrespectful behaviour in the Johannesburg High Court. 

HE WAS DISBARRED AS AN ADVOCATE 

The outspoken Teffo was struck off the roll in 2023 by the Pretoria High court. The Legal Practice Council (LPC) laid 22 charges against Teffo, which dated back to 2019. The charges faced by Teffo included assault; misleading the court on several occasions; contempt of court; breaching court orders; consulting clients without a brief from an attorney and misappropriating funds received from clients.

Teffo was disbarred as an advocate when he was found guilty.The LPC chairperson, Janine Myburgh, said at the time: "The ruling means he (Teffo) is not able to practise, cannot offer advice or appear in court as a legal practitioner or offer these services to members of the public."