Gerrie Nel

Nel in 2019

Gerhard C. "Gerrie" Nel (/ˈxɛriː ˈnɛl/, born 1961)[1] is a South African advocate. Until January 2017, he was a prosecutor for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) of South Africa.[2] He is nicknamed "Bulldog" for his tenacity in the courtroom, and is regularly assigned to difficult and high-profile cases.[3]

Nel matriculated from Hoërskool Piet Potgieter in Potgietersrus in the Limpopo province in 1979,[4][5] and studied law in Pretoria.[6]

Nel started working as a prosecutor in 1984.[5] He was a junior prosecutor in the trial of Clive Derby-Lewis and Janusz Waluś, who were both convicted in connection with the assassination of anti-apartheid activist Chris Hani in 1993.[5][7] He was the Gauteng Regional Head of the NPA's Directorate of Special Operations (Scorpions) business unit from its inception in 1999 until it was disbanded in 2009.[7]

Nel led the prosecution in the trial of former national police commissioner and Interpol president Jackie Selebi, who was convicted of corruption in 2010.[7] In 2012 he received two awards in recognition of his work on the Selebi case. He was named Prosecutor of the Year by the local Society of State Advocates and received a Special Achievement Award from the International Association of Prosecutors for "fierce pursuit of the vision of the National Prosecuting Authority's ideals to achieve justice in society".[7][8]

Nel was the lead prosecutor in the 2014 trial of Oscar Pistorius for the murder of Reeva Steenkamp and several gun-related charges.[9]

In January 2017, he resigned from his position as a prosecutor at the NPA,[10] joining AfriForum with the aim of setting up a private prosecutions unit,[11] which AfriForum said would operate in the interests of all South Africans.[12]

Wrestling

Nel once competed in wrestling at a provincial level.[5][13] He teaches children wrestling in the evenings.[14]

Awards

References

  1. ^ "Gerrie Nel: Der grosse Verlierer im Pistorius-Verfahren" [Gerrie Nel: The big loser in the Pistorius trial]. Neue Zürcher Zeitung (in German). 12 September 2014. Retrieved 12 September 2014.
  2. ^ "Prosecutor Gerrie Nel quits". News 24. 31 January 2017. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
    - Versluis, Jeanne-Marié (14 May 2014). "Teenstrydige getuienis" [Conflicting evidence]. Die Burger (in Afrikaans). Archived from the original on 14 May 2014. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
  3. ^ Jamieson, Alastair; Simpson, Cheryll (11 April 2014). "How 'Pit Bull' Lawyer Gerrie Nel Is Tearing Pistorius Apart". NBC News. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
    - ←Skiti, Sabelo; Govender, Prega (3 March 2014). "Legal titans square up for murder case world is watching". Times LIVE. Archived from the original on 25 March 2014. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
  4. ^ Lourens, Charmaine (13 March 2014). "Gerrie Nel 'n ou bekende" [Gerrie Nel an old familiar]. looklocal (in Afrikaans). Archived from the original on 13 May 2014. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
    - Cowell, Alan (13 April 2014). "Pistorius Versus the Pit Bull: Fierce Prosecutor Shares Stage". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 23 April 2014. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
  5. ^ a b c d Carstens, Sonja (13 April 2014). "'Bulhond'-Gerrie 'n gunsteling onder kleintjies" ['Bulldog'-Gerrie a favourite among children]. Rapport (in Afrikaans). Archived from the original on 13 May 2014. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
  6. ^ England, Andrew (18 April 2014). "Gerrie Nel, Pistorius's pit bull prosecutor". Financial Times. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
  7. ^ a b c d "Pistorius case: Nel a prosecutor with the 'golden touch'". The Sowetan. 20 February 2014. Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
  8. ^ "IAP Awards – 2012 Bangkok, Thailand". IAP. Archived from the original on 13 May 2014. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
    - Samodien, Leila (8 June 2012). "Advocate who put Selebi behind bars wins global award". IOL. Archived from the original on 26 June 2012. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
  9. ^ Smith, David (28 February 2014). "Key players in the Oscar Pistorius trial". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 14 March 2014. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
    - "INFOGRAPHIC: The State vs Oscar Pistorius". News24. 2 March 2014. Archived from the original on 11 March 2014. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
    - "Oscar Pistorius trial: Key players". BBC News. 3 March 2014. Archived from the original on 13 May 2014. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
  10. ^ "Prosecutor Gerrie Nel quits". News 24. 31 January 2017. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
  11. ^ "Gerrie Nel to join forces with AfriForum". News 24. 31 January 2017. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
  12. ^ "New prosecuting unit in the interest of all South Africans - AfriForum". News 24. 31 January 2017. Retrieved 19 August 2017..
  13. ^ Basson, Adriaan (2010). Finish & Klaar: Selebi's Fall from Interpol to the Underworld. Cape Town: Tafelberg. ISBN 9780624049395.
  14. ^ "Gerrie Nel teaches kids wrestling". IOL. 13 April 2014. Archived from the original on 13 May 2014. Retrieved 13 May 2014.

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