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]
Education and legal career
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
- 2012 – Society of State Advocates Ukugqwesa Prosecutor of the Year Award
- 2012 – International Association of Prosecutors Special Achievement Award