Pretoria high court judge Tshifhiwa Maumela has slammed allegations by Adv Malesela Teffo that he had used witchcraft against him.
Teffo who represented four of the five men accused of killing Senzo Meyiwa, used the accusation and many other against other people for his reasons for stepping down from the trial.
In a letter written to prosecutor George Baloyi last week, Teffo made a number of wild allegations, including that a sangoma had been approached to work against him during the trial.
As the trial resumed yesterday Maumela said the whole accusation against him did not make sense.
“They (accusations) are even about one’s faith, where you base your faith and so forth. Some of us have a physician... and the matter of my physician is not the problem of anybody. It's even irrelevant here but because of what is happening one needs to say out loud, I have a physician called Jesus and he needs no augmentation” the judge said.
Attorney Timothy Thobane, who will be the new legal representative for accused one to four was quick to distance himself from Teffo's utterances.
Thobane was Teffo’s instructing attorney.
“The court can remember that the advocate who was appearing in this matter has withdrawn. When he also spoke about whatever he spoke about when he withdrew, that was not the instruction from the instructing attorney,” said Thobane.
“I needed to hear what you are saying,” responded Maumela.
After Thobane confirmed to the court that he will be the new counsel for the first four accused, Maumela postponed the matter to September 5 for continuation of the trial.
“My instructions from my clients is that I proceed with the matter,” said Thobane.
“That is very welcome,” replied Maumela.
Last week, in a letter sent to Baloyi, Teffo said he would be returning to the case as counsel of the first four accused.
Teffo was not in court on Tuesday.
Thobane said accused number two intends making a formal bail application before the trial resumes in September.
During the start of the proceedings, Maumela raised concerns about how the defence presented themselves in court during the previous court sitting in July.
“On the day this matter was postponed, Adv Teffo was alone and he withdrew. There was no pre-warning that Mr Thobane will not be around. In withdrawing, Mr Teffo said nothing about Mr Thobane. As the instructing attorney, I imagined that I will hear from Mr Thobane what the way forward is,” said Maumela.
Thobane apologised to the court for not being present in court on the day Teffo withdrew.
Meyiwa, a former Bafana Bafana goalie, was killed at his girlfriend Kelly Khumalo’s home in Vosloorus, on the East Rand, on October 26 2014.
The accused – Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya, Bongani Sandiso Ntanzi, Mthobisi Prince Mncube, Mthokoziseni Maphisa and Sifisokuhle Nkani Ntuli – face charges of premeditated murder, attempted murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, possession of firearms without a licence and illegal possession of ammunition.
They have pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
kokam@sowetan.co.za
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