Gerrie Nel

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][3] He is nicknamed "Bulldog" for his tenacity in the courtroom, and is regularly assigned to difficult and high-profile cases.[4][5]

Nel matriculated from Hoërskool Piet Potgieter in Potgietersrus in the Limpopo province in 1979,[6][7][8] and studied law in Pretoria.[9]

Nel started working as a prosecutor in 1984.[8] 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.[8][10] 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.[10]

Nel led the prosecution in the trial of former national police commissioner and Interpol president Jackie Selebi, who was convicted of corruption in 2010.[10] 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".[10][11][12]

Nel was the lead prosecutor in the 2014 trial of Oscar Pistorius for the murder of Reeva Steenkamp and several gun-related charges.[13][14][15]

In January 2017, he resigned from his position as a prosecutor at the NPA,[16] joining AfriForum with the aim of setting up a private prosecutions unit,[17] which AfriForum said would operate in the interests of all South Africans.[18]

Wrestling

Nel once competed in wrestling at a provincial level.[8][19] He teaches children wrestling in the evenings.[20]

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.
  3. 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.
  4. Jamieson, Alastair; Simpson, Cheryll (11 April 2014). "How 'Pit Bull' Lawyer Gerrie Nel Is Tearing Pistorius Apart". NBC News. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. 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.
  9. England, Andrew (18 April 2014). "Gerrie Nel, Pistorius's pit bull prosecutor". Financial Times. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
  10. "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.
  11. "IAP Awards – 2012 Bangkok, Thailand". IAP. Archived from the original on 13 May 2014. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
  12. 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.
  13. 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.
  14. "INFOGRAPHIC: The State vs Oscar Pistorius". News24. 2 March 2014. Archived from the original on 11 March 2014. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
  15. "Oscar Pistorius trial: Key players". BBC News. 3 March 2014. Archived from the original on 13 May 2014. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
  16. "Prosecutor Gerrie Nel quits". News 24. 31 January 2017. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
  17. "Gerrie Nel to join forces with AfriForum". News 24. 31 January 2017. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
  18. "New prosecuting unit in the interest of all South Africans - AfriForum". News 24. 31 January 2017. Retrieved 19 August 2017..
  19. Basson, Adriaan (2010). Finish & Klaar: Selebi's Fall from Interpol to the Underworld. Cape Town: Tafelberg. ISBN 9780624049395.
  20. "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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