Plan to get me off Meyiwa murder trial was hatched in Ramaphosa’s office, says Teffo

Some of  the men accused of killing soccer player Senzo Meyiwa were visibly shocked on Tuesday when their lawyer Malesela Teffo told the high court in Pretoria he was withdrawing from the case.

So stunned was one that he attempted to address the court on the matter but did not get the chance. 

Teffo dropped the bombshell of his recusal by saying he had grown tired of the harassment he had suffered while on the case.

The harassment, he said, came from the state and presiding judge Tshifhiwa Maumela.

He said the plan to make his life difficult was hatched with the knowledge of President Cyril Ramaphosa. 

“On the 28th of April when I was arrested before your court, that was a plan, and the plan was hatched in the office of the president — the number one office in the country,” said Teffo.

He was arrested shortly after the Meyiwa trial had adjourned. He was handcuffed and led from court where he was taken to Hillbrow.

Teffo had previously been arrested on charges of common assault and trespassing after allegedly assaulting a female SAPS member and entering the SAPS Gauteng provincial building in contravention of a high court interdict. 

After failing to appear before Hillbrow magistrate’s court on several occasions, including January 27, a warrant of arrest had been issued but withheld. The case was remanded to February 10. Teffo was not in court and bail was finally to the state. An instruction was issued by the court for the warrant of arrest to be executed.

But Teffo maintained there was something more sinister to his arrest. 

“[It was said] that I am a problematic advocate, that my clients should take the responsibility of the murder of Senzo Meyiwa despite the fact that they were innocent,” Teffo said. 

TimesLIVE has reached out to Ramaphosa’s office for comment on Teffo’s allegations, but his spokesperson could not immediately be reached for comment. 

Teffo told the court that while he was withdrawing from representing four of the five accused, he would continue with his watching brief on behalf of the Meyiwa family as he was appointed by Sfiso Meyiwa, Senzo’s brother.

“I am a human being. I have got emotions. I have got feelings. I deserve and I demand respect. The reason I can no longer be in court and face you, [is that] there are serious allegations wherein you are accused number one,” Teffo said, referring to his complaints against Maumela 

“Before I can even accept the case ...  to represent the four accused, there has been harassment that I should not be part of this case, from the police and the NPA. I came in to this case knowing ... the consequences,” he added. 

Meyiwa, who was goalkeeper for Orlando Pirates and Bafana Bafana, was gunned down in October 2014 at the house of the mother of his girlfriend, Kelly Khumalo. 

Khumalo and others who were in the Vosloorus home at the time said Meyiwa was killed in a botched robbery. 

Teffo, however, has suggested otherwise. He had called for the charges against his clients to be withdrawn and insisted charges be laid against Khumalo, her mother, sister, her sister’s boyfriend and two of Meyiwa’s friends who were present at the time of the shooting.

Teffo’s withdrawal from the case was accepted.

The case was provisionally postponed to August 2 for the accused to find new representatives.

TimesLIVE