Minister of Defence and Military Veterans Lindiwe Sisulu committed an error of judgement by appointing Paul Ngobeni as her legal adviser, Democratic Alliance MP David Maynier said on Tuesday.
Ngobeni’s appointment was part of a pattern to provide jobs for President Jacob Zuma’s ”political friends”.
”The fact is that Paul Ngobeni’s record shows that he does not behave with the integrity that we expect from ordinary serving members of the defence force,” Maynier said in a statement.
”We cannot have a situation where the legal adviser to the minister is not expected to meet the high level of integrity we expect from ordinary serving members of the defence force.”
Sisulu confirmed Ngobeni’s appointment as her legal adviser on Tuesday morning, saying he had been vetted by the intelligence services before being appointed in the defence department.
Ngobeni was recently employed as the deputy registrar at the University of Cape Town. He parted ways with the university after reaching an agreement following an internal disciplinary process.
”Mr Ngobeni was reportedly suspended from the roll and may never practice law again after being found guilty of seven counts of misconduct in Connecticut in the United States,” Maynier said.
”Mr Ngobeni is also reportedly a strong supporter of Judge John Hlophe and was a key figure in the strategy team that allowed President Jacob Zuma to beat corruption charges.”
Maynier questioned whether Ngobeni could have received a security clearance after having been suspended from the roll and banned from practising law in Connecticut, after being found guilty of misconduct.
”The DA calls on the minister to urgently review her decision and to dismiss Paul Ngobeni from the Department of Defence.” — Sapa