NPA appoints ex-Scorpion Sipho Ngwema as its new spokesperson

• The NPA has appointed Sipho Ngwema as its national spokesperson after the position was vacant for about 15 months.
• He was seconded from his current position as head of communications at the Competition Commission.
• Ngwema is no stranger to the NPA as he was one of the first people to work for it in 1998 when it was established.
• He was also the former spokesperson for the now-defunct corruption investigative unit the Scorpions.

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has appointed former Scorpions point man Sipho Ngwema as its new spokesperson.

In a statement released on Friday evening, the NPA said Ngwema was appointed on a 12-month contract, effective from 1 June, with the possibility to extend it. 

The position had been vacant since National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) advocate Shamila Batohi took office in February 2019, it added.

Ngwema previously served as the head of communications at the Competition Commission, a position he had held since September 2016.

According to the statement, Batohi and commission commissioner Thembinkosi Bonakele had agreed Ngwema could be seconded to the NPA in the office of the NDPP.

Renowned

"He is a renowned South African media and reputation management strategist with a wealth of knowledge of the private, public and NGO sector, and gave strategic communication and reputation management support to prominent personalities and private institutions through the company he headed," it said.

Ngwema is no stranger to the NPA.

He was one of three people seconded by Parliament to join it in 1998 shortly after it was established.

Ngwema rose rapidly through the ranks, serving as spokesperson for the NPA and former Directorate of Special Operations (DSO) - also known as the Scorpions - an elite corruption investigative arm.

"The NDPP is confident Ngwema, with the experience that he brings, will be invaluable on this challenging trajectory of rebuilding the NPA to be the independent, professional, accountable and credible institution that all South Africans can truly be proud of," the NPA said.

- Compiled by Mpho Raborife