Chief Justice Raymond Zondo Lambasts Arrest Of Adv Malesela Teffo In Court
Chief Justice Raymond Zondo has slammed the South African Police Service (SAPS) for arresting Advocate Malesela Teffo in the Pretoria High Court, where he was representing five men accused of the 2014 Senzo Meyiwa murder.
“There was no justifiable reason why the SAPS could not have waited for Advocate Teffo to leave the courtroom and the court premises before they could arrest him. After all, as I understand the position, the warrant of arrest had been issued about two months earlier and waiting until Advocate Teffo had left the court premises would not have made any difference,” said Zondo.
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“Advocate Teffo was not going to spend the evening in the courtroom. The conduct of the SAPS in effecting the arrest inside the courtroom and the manner in which the arrest was effected on a legal practitioner and, therefore, on an officer of the court, was an assault on the dignity of the court and the judiciary.”
According to the Chief Justice, Teffo, a court officer, was arrested in a manner that was “totally unacceptable and showed disrespect” for the judiciary.
“Section 165 (4) of the Constitution places an obligation on all organs of state, including the SAPS, through legislative and other measures, to “assist and protect the courts to ensure the independence, impartiality, dignity, accessibility and effectiveness of the courts,” said Zondo.
The Hillbrow Magistrate’s Court on Friday cancelled Teffo’s arrest warrant, which had been issued in January. Teffo informed the magistrate in Hillbrow court, through his attorney, advocate Tshepo Thobane, that he had missed the January 27 court date due to Covid-19.
The warrant for arrest was revoked, and the hearing for the unspecified offence was rescheduled for May 27.
Teffo is facing trespassing charges after allegedly visiting the SAPS offices in Gauteng. According to reports, the case has nothing to do with the Meyiwa murder trial. The videos of police officers mobbing the lawyer shortly after the Meyiwa murder trial was adjourned on Thursday have gone viral, with many questioning the police’s apparent heavy-handed tactics.
When asked why he was arrested, Teffo told journalists that Cele was the reason for his arrest and that he was being held for his involvement in the Meyiwa murder trial.
