Pretoria - Attempts by controversial advocate Malesela Teffo to "bulldoze" his way back into the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial has been objected to by all legal counsels in the matter.
As the trial looking into the murder of Meyiwa resumed in the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria earlier today, judge Tshifhiwa Maumela had to be brought in with an extra contingency of security due to what he said were mixed messages.
Maumela said he was delayed in starting the proceedings today as he had initially been informed that the legal counsels in the matter wanted to speak with him in chambers, and then later that an advocate in the matter wanted to speak to him regarding the case.
He said he was informed however that the other legal counsels in the matter were against the meeting and had called in extra security to prevent the advocate from forcing his way to see the judge.
State advocate George Baloyi said the advocate requested the counsels to see the court in chambers to which they had informed him that it was not necessary as they wanted to proceed with the matter instead.
A former colleague of the advocate, Thomas Thobane said they had equally informed the advocate that they did not know the reasons and did not want to know them as they were not part of why he wanted to see the judge.
According to advocate Zandile Mshololo, they were approached by Teffo however they felt as if there was no need for a meeting based on the reasons he had supplied.
Mshololo said they then asked the registrar to go and get the judge however Teffo insisted, stating that if they refused he would go to the judge as they could not proceed without him seeing the judge.
"We even suggested that at least an email should be sent to the registrar so his request can be attended via emails and he said he is not going to do that he wants to see the judge by force about this case."
"The information he gave to us we said he should relay that information through the registrar and he said he is going to see the judge and that is when he forced to go through chambers," Mshololo explained.
Baloyi said his understanding of Teffo's insistence on seeing the judge was in relation to being on a watching brief for docket 375.
The matter proceeded with Meyiwa's friend Tumelo Madlala on the witness stand for the third day, wherein he was able to identify the second accused, Bongani Ntanzi, as the suspect who had pinned Senzo to the wall during the night of the incident.
This was despite the defence's attempts to object to the dock identification of the accused.
The matter continues following the adjournment.
Pretoria News