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.