In a surprising turn of events, one of the defence lawyers in the trial of the five men accused of killing former Bafana Bafana goalkeeper Senzo Meyiwa is now facing a charge of attempted murder.
Advocate Thulani Mngomezulu, who represents accused 1 and 2, Muzi Sibiya and Bongani Ntanzi, finds himself on the other side of the law.
The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) reports that Mngomezulu is also facing charges of conspiracy to commit murder, infringement of a protection order, and resisting arrest, dating back to November 2022.
The complainant in this case is Mngomezulu’s wife, Dumisile Sebentile Mngomezulu. Although Dumisile reportedly expressed a desire to withdraw the case, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) declined her request. The exact reasons behind her change of heart remain unclear.
This is not the first instance of charges being brought against a defence lawyer in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial. Previously, disbarred advocate Malesela Teffo, who had represented accused 1 to 4, was arrested inside the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria.
Teffo faced allegations of misconduct and misappropriation of funds by several clients who claimed that he had failed to provide the services for which they had paid.
These complaints were lodged with the Legal Practice Council even before Teffo took on the role of defending the accused in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial. It is important to note that Teffo’s conduct in the murder trial was not considered in the disbarment process, which took place in September 2022.
