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Adv. Thenjwa Sellem

Advocate Thenjwa Sellem is currently an employee of the National Prosecuting Authority as

a Senior State Advocate on contract spanning from 01 April 2021 to 31 March 2024. He is

attached to the Specialized Commercial Crimes Unit (the SCCU) of the NPA at the DPP’s Office

in Mthatha, Eastern Cape Province. He is dealing with complex and high-profile commercial

crimes such as corruption, money laundering, racketeering, etc.


A special highlight reflective of his versatile and exceptional legal expertise (civil and criminal) has recently been manifested in a matter of Mpapela v The State (Commercial Crimes Court, Mthatha, Case Number RCCM25/2021, and High Court, Mthatha, Case Number CA&R104/2021). This matter started in the Commercial Crimes Court, Mthatha, and ended up being enrolled and heard at an opposed motion court, High Court, Eastern Cape Local Division, Mthatha. A former Hawks Officer (the accused and now the applicant) was charged

and convicted of THEFT of R5035.90 (the trap money). Subsequently, he was sentenced to

undergo six years direct imprisonment. His applications for leave to appeal against conviction

and sentence, and the subsequent petition failed. The applicant launched an application for

rescission of the Petition Court Order in terms of Rule 42(1)(b) of the Uniform Rules of Court.

On 11 August 2022, the State, being represented by Adv. T Sellem during the hearing,

successfully argued that the application be dismissed with costs on punitive scale, payable de

bonis propriis by the attorneys of record for the applicant. The Honourable Justice Mjali J

referred to the arguments drafted and presented by Adv. T Sellem, and made an order

dismissing the application with punitive costs, payable de bonis propriis by the attorneys of

record for the applicant to the National Prosecuting Authority (the State), as argued by Adv.

T Sellem.

On 17 August 2022, after having attended interviews on 11 June 2022 and presented his

papers wherein he was, inter alia, nominated and recommended by Adv. Ndengezi SC, a

former Acting Judge in the past decade, the NBCSA Silk Committee, whose chairperson is Adv.

Harold Knopp SC, unanimously decided on merits to nominate Adv. T Sellem for the

conferment of Silk Status. This process is currently pending.

From January 2020 up to date, he has been one of the Executive Members of the Convocation

Committee of the University of Fort Hare. The University of Fort Hare, in collaboration with

its alumni and management, entrusted the Convocation Executive Committee with a strategic

role to make recommendations, after having embarked on comprehensive research, for the

amendment of the Convocation Constitution. This year, 2022, the Convocation Executive

Committee made its submissions to the university. The secretary of this committee is Adv. M.

Mgxashe (Contact Number 082 564 2152).

Between 01 January 2017 and 31 March 2021 he has been practising as a High Court

Advocate, and lately got registered with the LPC as a Trust Account Advocate, running and

managing the Advocate Thenjwa Sellem Chambers situated at 2A Chamberlain Road, Berea,

East London, Eastern Cape Province. The chambers housed four more advocates, to wit, Adv.

Nduzulwana, Adv. Samson, Adv. Msikinya and Adv. Silevana. Adv. T Sellem, during this period,

managed to mentor and to have four pupils admitted as Advocates of the High Court at

Grahamstown (now Makhanda) High Court, Eastern Cape Province. He also offered vacation

jobs to university students of whom two are currently graduates.

Areas of his general speciality include the Labour Law, Constitutional Law, Commercial Law

(criminal and civil), Banks Law, Social Media Law, Law of Contract, Law of Delict, Company

Law, Civil and Criminal Law and Procedure.

He is a member in good standing of the National Bar Council of South Africa (the NBCSA), a

Provincial Chairperson of the NBCSA in the Eastern Cape Province for 2021/2023 financial

years, a member in good standing of the Black Lawyers Association, a member in good

standing and a panellist of the ADR Group of South Africa, and a member in good standing of

the Legal Practice Council (the LPC) of South Africa.

He holds a B. Juris and an LLB (post-graduate) degrees from the University of Fort Hare (the

UFH), an NQF level 8 Certificate (post-graduate) in Commercial Law (Investigation and

Management of Cyber and Electronic Crime) from the University of Pretoria, a Computer

Literacy Certificate, and an Advanced Computer Literacy Certificate from the UFH.

In 2020 he attended and completed an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Course, obtained

a Mediation Certificate, and was registered and accredited as an International Mediator and

Panellist by the ADR Group of South Africa.

Topics covered during this training include Mediation and Arbitration, Conflict Resolution,

Restorative Justice, Workplace Disputes, Commercial Disputes, Family Disputes, Divorce

Disputes, Schools Disputes, Credit Dispute Resolution, Sport Disputes, Human Rights

Disputes, Insurance Disputes, Sectional Titles Disputes, Medical Negligence and Road

Accident disputes.

In the same year, he attended and completed a training on legal costs. On 04 September 2020

he obtained a Legal Costs Certificate from the Legal Education & Development of the Law

Society of South Africa.

In 2019 he attended and completed a Practical Management Training (PMT) in terms of

section 85(1)(b) of the Legal Practice Act, 28 of 2014 as approved by the Legal Practice Council

(the LPC).

Between 2004 and 2005 he attended and completed a Practical Legal Training (PLT) in terms

of section 7(5) of the Attorneys Act, 53 of 1979, as amended and section 11 of the Attorneys

Amendment Act, 87 of 1989, as approved by the Law Societies of South Africa.

From year 2000 to 2003 he worked as a Clerk of the Court and a Court Interpreter in the

Magistrate’s Court at Alice in the Eastern Cape Province. During the same period, he worked

as a Human Rights Facilitator and Intern in the Oliver Tambo Chair of Human Rights at the

UFH. He was during the same period a Tutor of the Law of Contract to third-year level students

in the Faculty of Law at the UFH.

In the first semester of 2003, he worked an Assistant Prosecutor in the National Prosecuting

Authority (the NPA) at New Law Courts in Port Elizabeth. From the second semester of 2003

until the end of 2005, he joined the Legal Aid Board at Port Elizabeth Justice Centre as a

Candidate Attorney with a right of appearance at District and Regional Courts, representing

indigent public members, especially women and children, in criminal and civil matters. In 2004

he was awarded a Certificate of Recognition as a Mr. Congeniality by the Port Elizabeth Justice

Centre.

From 01 December 2005 to 31 December 2017, he worked in the NPA in various jurisdictions

as a District Court Prosecutor (Oudtshoorn), Advanced District Court Prosecutor

(Queenstown), Junior State Advocate (DPP, South Gauteng) and a Senior State Advocate (DPP,

EC).

In 2003 he drafted a Constitution for the Africa Community Development, a non-profit

organization under the World Missionary Association. He served in this organization from

2003 to 2005 as a Cape Provinces Secretary General. The core vision of this organization was

to uplift the standard of the poor communities in Port Elizabeth and the Cape Provinces in

South Africa by soliciting funds from South Korea. He collaborated with South Korean

Missionaries during his tenure as a Pastor of Gospel Pilots Ministries Church.

Between 2018 and 2020 he registered and was appointed as one of the directors of private

companies, to wit, Online iTaxi (Pty) Ltd, BB PPES Service Providers (Pty) Ltd, TOSELU

Transports (Pty) Ltd, and South African Trading Authority (NPC). Currently, he is no longer

actively involved in these companies, but not yet removed as one of their directors.

In 2021 he bought 10 pairs of school shoes, in collaboration with the Former World Boxing

Champion, Macbuti Sinyabi (Contact Number 066 218 3339), whose project collected about

1000 pairs of school shoes, which shoes were donated at Mdantsane in the Eastern Cape

Province for the benefit of disadvantaged children.

From 01 January 2020 up to date, he has been overseeing and assisting in the Legal Section

of the Eastern Cape Province Men Against Violence Against Children, Women, and other

vulnerable groups of the society. Mr. Jongi Hoza (Contact Number 067 128 1376) is a

Secretary General of this NPO. The core vision of this organisation is primarily to carve young

men and inculcate on young and old men moral values and a sense of treating women and

children and other vulnerable groups with respect, dignity, and honour.

From 01 January 2014 to 31 December 2017, he was nominated and worked as a Shop

Steward and a Vice-Chairperson of the Eastern Cape Provincial NPA Committee in the Public

Servants Association (the PSA), representing prosecutors, junior and senior state advocates,

deputy and senior deputy directors, and other employees of the NPA in the Eastern Cape

Province in all labour matters.

On 09 December 2016 he represented the NPA in an International Anti-Corruption Day as one

of the Guest Speakers under the auspices of the Office of the Premier of the Eastern Cape

Province. His presentation was focused on ways to identify and combat instances of

corruption in the public sector.

In 2017, Izwilethemba Community Radio Station (93.8 FM) invited him as a Guest Speaker in

a thirty-minute session concerning the assault allegations of a South African Citizen by the

wife of the late Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, the Diplomatic Immunities and

Privileges Act, 37 of 2001, as amended, and Foreign States Immunities Act, 87 of 1981, as

amended.

On 12 August 2018 he participated in a five-minute interview with Keith Ngesi Online Radio

Station about the appointment of the South African NDPP future incumbent. On 15 August

2018 Izwilethemba Community Radio interviewed him in a 30-minute slot about the unlawful

and unconstitutional resignation of Mr. Nxasana (the erstwhile NDPP), the unlawful

appointment of Adv. Shaun Abrahams (the former NDPP), the unconstitutional and unlawful

handshake by the former President Zuma, the appointment of the Acting NDPP, and the

future of the South African NDPP’s seat.

During 1996, Adv. T Sellem worked in the first census after the advent of democracy as an

Enumerator in Mpofu District, Eastern Cape Province, visiting households in rural areas,

interviewing residents, completing enumeration questionnaires, and scanning their identity

documents. During the same year, Adv. T Sellem got self-employed, farming with broilers

(poultry) at Mpofu District. The Standard Bank of South Africa awarded him a grant of

approximately R500 000 to beef up his entrepreneurship. This business venture and the salary

received from Census enabled him to register as a law student in 1997 at the University of

Forthare.

He has accumulated approximately 22 years of legal experience up to date.

Adv. Thenjwa Sellem
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