JUDGE MPENDULO’S LAWYER WITHDRAWS SERVICES

MBABANE – It is probably not what suspended Judge Mpendulo Simelane expected.

Yesterday, his attorney of record, Sipho Simelane, withdrew his services exactly 15 minutes before the start of his (judge) ongoing hearing. Judge Simelane got the disturbing message as he passed by the Mbabane Government Hospital on his way to the High Court where his impeachment hearing was scheduled to take place at 10am in the Conference Room.

The judge told the commission that Simelane (Sipho) called him at 9:45am to inform him that he was withdrawing his services as his attorney of record.
Zweli Jele, who prosecutes in the hearing, said he received a telefax message at 9am from Sipho indicating that he would no longer represent the suspended judge in the hearing.

Jele asked Judge Simelane to give direction to the commission as to what was to happen next.
Judge Simelane confirmed that his attorney had withdrawn his services. He said Sipho did not give an indication prior that he would no longer represent him.

The judge asked that the hearing be proceeded with and he would represent himself.
“My counsel has since withdrawn his services from the matter,” said the judge who attended the hearing in the company of his father. In fact the judges’ father has been attending the hearing ever since it started.

The chairman of the hearing, Chief Justice Bheki Maphalala, said the commission could not proceed with the hearing under the circumstances.

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