The man accused of murdering Irish charity worker John Curran in Cape Town has fired his lawyer, the Cape Town Magistrate's Court heard on Tuesday.

Mitspa Onyoka has appointed a new lawyer instead.

Onyoka is accused of murdering Curran, who was found dead at a high-security complex in Buitengracht Street, Cape Town in November last year.

Early police investigations revealed that the charity worker was found in a pool of blood and that there were open wounds on his head and face.

Shortly before his death, Curran had completed a tenure as director of education for Mellon Educate in South Africa.

Onyoka is believed to be from the Democratic Republic of Congo, but the Department of Home Affairs submitted a statement to the court to say that they had no record of the accused after 2015.

The case was postponed to March 22 to give the accused time to consult with his new lawyer, TimesLive reported.