The Western Cape High Court has disbarred attorney Sindiso Kondlo after the South African Legal Practice Council (LPC) investigated multiple complaints involving dishonesty, misuse of trust funds and misconduct towards clients.The court ruled that his behaviour showed a clear pattern of unethical conduct and that he was no longer fit to practise law.

Judge Julia Anderssen stated that dishonesty strikes at the core of the legal profession and said the attorney repeatedly misrepresented facts to clients while continuing to misuse funds, even while under investigation.The court found that a suspension would not adequately protect the public because of the seriousness and repeated nature of the misconduct.Four separate complaints were considered by the court.

In one matter, a woman sold her property for R220,000, but after funds were paid into the attorney’s trust account, she received only R35,000, leaving her unable to build a new home as planned.Another complainant paid R180,000 linked to a divorce property transfer, but only a small portion reached her ex-husband.

A third complaint involved a failed property transfer where more than R300,000 was paid before the transaction collapsed because the property had already been sold by the seller’s former spouse.

In a fourth matter, a complainant paid R150,000 for a property transfer, yet R70,000 remained unpaid to the seller even after the title deed had been handed over.The court also criticised the attorney for ignoring correspondence from the LPC and failing to attend disciplinary hearings.

Judge Anderssen said the public had the right to be protected from legal practitioners who misuse client trust funds and fail to account for money entrusted to them.