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