GALLERY: Advocate Gerrie Nel lays down the law in Newcastle
With his quick wit and abundance of knowledge about South African criminal law, Nel enlightened the awe inspired audience about his journey as a prosecutor.
In a setting unconventional to a court room, Advocate Gerrie Nel made an appearance in Newcastle at Hutten Park Primary School on October 27.
With his quick wit and abundance of knowledge about South African criminal law, Nel enlightened the awe inspired audience about his journey as a prosecutor.
Nel remained steadfast on his quest for justice and equality, he passionately displayed his disapproval towards any form of corruption.
“I became a lawyer because I hate bullies. Corruption is nothing but powerful bullies and collusion by business people,” said Nel.
About Advocate Gerrie Nel:
Nel matriculated from Hoërskool Piet Potgieter in Potgietersrus in the Limpopo province in 1979,and studied law in Pretoria.
Nel started working as a prosecutor in 1984 and became a junior prosecutor in the trial of Clive Derby-Lewis and Janusz Walu who were both convicted in connection with the assassination of anti-apartheid activist Chris Hani in 1993.
He was the Gauteng Regional Head of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA’s) Directorate of Special Operations (Scorpions) business unit from its inception in 1999 until it was disbanded in 2009.
Nel also led the prosecution in the trial of former national police commissioner and Interpol president Jackie Selebi, who was convicted of corruption in 2010.
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 effecting justice in society.
Nel then grabbed the country’s attention as the lead prosecutor in the 2014 trial of Oscar Pistorius for the murder of Reeva Steenkamp.
His latest strategic move was in January this year, were he resigned from his position as a prosecutor for the NPA,to join AfriForum, a civil rights group with a particular focus on protecting Afrikaaner culture.
His focus at AfriForum was on setting up a new private prosecutions unit, which AfriForum said would operate in the interests of all South Africans.
Constantly evolving in his career, Nel who was dubbed as ‘The Bulldog” showed no signs of slowing down, in August Nel was also the prosecutor against Grace Mugabe, wife of Zimbabwe President, Robert Mugabe after she assaulted the girlfriend of her son.
Fans of this intellectual genius can look forward to seeing greater successes as he continues enforcing justice in South Africa.
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