In the latest episode of MacG Podcast and Chill, Advocate Malesela Teffo shook public belief by claiming that Senzo Meyiwa was not murdered during a robbery, but rather died after being accidentally shot by Kelly Khumalo at her home.
What Advocate Teffo said about the Meyiwa killing
Teffo, previously involved in the 2014 murder trial, described in detail how the tragedy unfolded.
According to Teffo, Longwe Twala—son of music producer Chicco Twala—went to Khumalo’s house armed, suspecting an affair between Meyiwa and Khumalo’s sister.
A tussle reportedly took place, and in the confusion, Khumalo allegedly fired a .38 revolver while returning the weapon, striking Meyiwa.
“It was a fatal mistake… Kelly Khumalo shot and killed Senzo instantly on the 26th of October 2014 at approximately half past 8,” Teffo stated.
He also referenced a handwritten affidavit by Longwe from prison, in which Longwe supposedly confessed it was Khumalo’s fatal shot.
“I long state further under oath… it was fatal mistake Kelly Kumala shot and killed Senzo instantly,” Teffo claimed.
He pointed out this matched an earlier court claim about an eyewitness who said Khumalo had fired the shot. Teffo withdrew from the trial in July 2022, citing bias and interference but continued to challenge the official robbery line of inquiry.
Teffo’s allegations against SAPS officials
Teffo expanded the conversation, accusing former Gauteng Police Commissioner Lt Gen Elias Mawela of involvement in drug trafficking.
He tied this to broader claims made by Lt Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, who previously exposed links between senior SAPS figures and organised crime.
In Teffo’s telling, a 2019 turf conflict over a cocaine shipment at Durban Harbour involved controversial moves by then-Minister Bheki Cele and Commissioner Khehla Sitole. Teffo said one group initially hid the shipment, only for the other to later seize it, prompting Sitole’s dismissal.
“The minister had the whole thing now on him himself,” Teffo alleged, arguing Cele was supplying drugs via ports and borders.
Teffo also singled out other SAPS leaders, including Major General Collins Hendriks, Brigadier Dennis Bus, Colonel Sarita Smith, Brigadier Stalls, and Colonel Kenl, accusing them of racism and targeting of black officers.
He linked these conflicts to his time as a police union leader, where he reinstated dismissed officers, creating enemies within the force.
“The racist and the corrupt are ganging against me,” he declared on the podcast.
Advocate Teffo is a controversial figure. In October 2023, the Pretoria High Court convicted him of contempt of court after he ignored a strike-off order. His sentence was suspended for 12 months, on condition that he complied fully with the initial disbarment.
During the May 2023 Senzo Meyiwa trial, Teffo dramatically entered court dressed as an advocate for the accused, despite being officially disbarred.
He refused to step down when told to, delaying proceedings by over an hour. He later lost a legal bid to reverse his disbarment and was ordered to pay the costs of the Legal Practice Council’s application.
His behaviour and court defiance have made him a polarising personality in South Africa’s legal arena.