• Cyril Ramaphosa appointed Andy Mothibi as National Prosecuting Authority head from 1 February despite not being interviewed by the panel.

• The presidency says six interviewed candidates were unsuitable, while Leonard Lekgetho becomes acting Special Investigating Unit head after Mothibi moves roles.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has made a surprise decision by appointing advocate Andy Mothibi as the new head of the National Prosecuting Authority, even though Mothibi was never interviewed for the job.

Mothibi, who currently leads the Special Investigating Unit, will take over from Shamila Batohi on 1 February. Batohi steps down after seven years in the role.

Ramaphosa had earlier set up a panel to run what was meant to be a transparent selection process. The panel was led by Justice Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi and interviewed six candidates in December. Those candidates included senior prosecutors and well known legal figures.

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However, the process took an unexpected turn. The Presidency said the panel decided that none of the six candidates were suitable for the position.

In a statement, the Presidency said "none of the interviewed candidates were suitable for the role of National Director of Public Prosecutions," which led Ramaphosa to appoint Mothibi instead.

Mothibi has a long background in law and public administration. He started his career as a prosecutor and later worked as a magistrate. He also held senior legal and compliance roles at Sars before becoming head of the Special Investigating Unit.

At the same time, Ramaphosa appointed Leonard Lekgetho as acting head of the Special Investigating Unit. Lekgetho has more than 22 years' experience in forensic investigations and previously worked for the Scorpions.