Opposition parties have decried the appointment of a "convicted criminal" as the SA National Defence Force's director of prosecutions, with one saying it is like putting "mice in charge of the cheese".

Brigadier-General Ernest Zwane was found guilty in November last year of two counts of fraud for falsely claiming to have two qualifications from the University of Fort Hare.

He was also found guilty of illegally possessing a firearm and ammunition, DA spokesman Roy Jankielsohn noted.

"The decision by the SANDF to appoint convicted criminal Brigadier-General Ernest Zwane as the new director of prosecutions is disgraceful and sends the wrong message about the department's attitude to crime and its administration," Jankielsohn said.

Independent Democrats chief whip Avril Harding said putting someone with a criminal record in the SANDF's top legal position "is like putting the mice in charge of the cheese".

Jankielsohn intends to submit a parliamentary question to Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota asking why the decision was made and whether Lekota was aware of Zwane's criminal record when he approved the appointment.

"The DA believes the minister should immediately intervene and freeze the appointment, and the process to select a suitable candidate restarted," he said.

"Zwane was sentenced to five years' imprisonment on the two fraud charges.

"The sentence was suspended for five years.

"Zwane was fined R4 000 for being illegally in possession of a firearm and R1 000, or 18 months' imprisonment, for the ammunition contravention."

Zwane, and Brigadier-General Petronella Mari - both of whom were in the military health service - were found by the Scorpions to have listed fake qualifications in their CVs, he said.

"It appears that the decision to appoint Zwane was made because other candidates were not 'representative' enough," Jankielsohn said.

"That explanation is simply not good enough.

"If the choice South Africans now face under an ANC government is between appointing convicted criminals and being 'representative', then the system really has gone mad."

Harding said Zwane should be dismissed immediately.

"Zwane's CV a few years ago was quite impressive," he said.

"He had a law degree from the University of the North and a BA in communications from Fort Hare.

"He even had a third (qualification).

"Since his brush with the Scorpions, however, Zwane has had to forfeit two of them."

The Military Discipline Supplementary Measures Act required only that appropriately qualified officers, with not less than five years' experience in military justice, be assigned to the position of director of military prosecutions, Harding said.

"Considering that the act says the right person for the position must be 'a fit and proper person of sound character', whoever found Brigadier-General Zwane did a very poor job.

"Needless to say, the ID expects the military to act without hesitation to correct this mighty blunder."

Lekota's spokesman, Sam Mkhwanazi, was unaware of the statements, but was expected to respond at a later stage.

With acknowledgements to Sapa and the Cape Times.