The EFF has described advocate Malesela Teffo as an embarrassment to the legal profession after he opened a case against party leader Julius Malema on Thursday.
Teffo opened a criminal case against Malema, Kelly Khumalo and her lawyer Magdelene Moonsamy. SAPS spokesperson Mavela Masondo said on Friday that the cases, which were opened at the Johannesburg Central Police Station and the Brixton Police station, relate to defamation of character and crimen injuria.
According to EFF spokesperson Sinawo Thambo, Teffo’s case is frivolous and baseless.
Said Thambo: “We must state categorically that the case is frivolous and has no basis. An assessment of his poor conduct in the court, which has been made through public opinion by multiple observers, cannot constitute defamation. It is even more nauseating to think that Teffo thinks that comments made about him can amount to defeating the ends of justice.
“The matter is so frivolous and is brought by such a clownish individual, that if any self- respecting law enforcement agency were to take it seriously, the CIC Julius Malema would represent himself and deal decisively with an imposter.”
In his statement, Thambo alleges that Teffo is obsessed with fame. He said Teffo is an attention seeker who is desperate to be in the news, adding that he would have been a nobody if he was not a representative of four of the five men accused in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial.
Said Thambo: “Proving the Commander in Chief’s assertions as nothing but the truth, Teffo has opened a case against the President of the EFF because he has an uncontrollable desire to be in the news cycle. Teffo is an embarrassment to the legal profession because he has used the tragedy of the late Bafana Bafana goalkeeper Meyiwa to build a profile for himself.
“It is an objective fact that Malesela Teffo would not be a person of interest to the public or the media, if it was not for the never-ending case of Senzo Meyiwa, and since he has been removed from that process, he is seeking other avenues to remain a topic of discussion.”
According to Thambo, Teffo is an opportunist who has failed in court and in his attempt to become a “celebrity advocate”.
“Teffo is failing dismally and exposing his opportunism. His conduct as the defence of those accused of the murder of Senzo Meyiwa was shameful and unbecoming. He then went on to withdraw from the case, only to attempt to return with a list of unreasonable and irrelevant demands, presuming that he is of some importance to the case, and therefore can make demands.
“He proceeded to accuse the sitting Judge in the Meyiwa case, Judge Tshifhiwa Maumela, of bewitching him, an irrational and illogical assertion by an advocate against a judge,” said Thambo.
“The EFF advises Malesela Teffo to pursue a career in which he can be the centre of attention, which is what he so desperately desires. The legal profession is clearly not designed for characters such as him, who enjoy being the topic of discussion rather than being officers of the court who prioritise justice over self-seeking ambitions.”
Also read: Advocate Teffo lays charges against Kelly Khumalo, her lawyer and Malema
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