‘Adverse findings against me will cause serious unrest in the country’: Advocate Teffo gets tongues wagging

South Africans have weighed in on advocate Malesela Teffo’s warning that there will be “serious unrest” if he is struck from the roll of advocates. 

This comes after an application by the Legal Practice Council (LPC) to have him disbarred or suspended when allegations against the advocate emerged.

LPC advocate Mfesane Ka-Siboto told the Pretoria high court there were 22 complaints of malpractice in respect of Teffo’s conduct.

“More than 75% of the complaints relate to how Teffo conducts himself,” said Ka-Siboto, adding Teffo has also been charged with assaulting a female police officer from the provincial offices in Parktown, Gauteng.

In addition to its application for an order to have Teffo’s name struck off the roll, the council wants Teffo to immediately surrender and deliver to the registrar of the court his certificate of enrolment.

According to a News24 report, Teffo claimed the LPC never informed him about the complaints against him and said his constitutional rights are being violated. 

The publication reported Teffo argued that removing him will affect people he is legally representing, including suspects in the Senzo Meyiwa murder case.

“The two presiding officers are warned not to make a decision on the basis of emotions. The decision informed by emotions on the part of these two judges will cause serious unrest in the country, considering the fact that the decision may adversely affect people who advocate Teffo is legally representing, including the emotionally-charged Senzo Meyiwa murder case,” said Teffo. 

“In light of the above paragraphs, any adverse finding against advocate Malesela Teffo will set the whole country on fire. Our African Arab spring may be inevitable, as stated by former state president Thabo Mbeki recently.”

Teffo withdrew from the Meyiwa case as counsel, citing he was tired of the alleged “harassment” he had suffered.

He then made a U-turn, announcing he would return with a list of demands, including calling for police minister Bheki Cele to be dismissed and investigated for abuse of his position. 

He later came clean about his withdrawal from the case, claiming it was a strategy he used to “confuse the enemy”. 

“It is a strategy. You know sometimes you have to confuse your enemies and give them a short-lived glory,” claimed Teffo. 

“This is a strategy among us”

Social media users weighed in on Teffo’s unrest claim, with many saying he is “slowly going crazy". Others said the unrest may happen in his head. 

Here is a snapshot of what many had to say:

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