Prosecutor Gerrie Nel
Prosecutor Gerrie Nel
Gerrie Nel is in the spotlight once again, after declaring he and his AfriForum team will aid Grace Mugabe’s alleged assault victim in their case against Zimbabwe’s first lady.
Nel agreed to help Gabrielle Engels, 20, who suffered lacerations to her forehead and scalp following an apparent altercation with Mrs Mugabe, who’s said to have beaten the young model with an extension cord.
Gerrie Nel Cases
The prosecutor has made a reputation for himself following a number of high profile cases, and has become known as ‘the bulldog’ for his tenacious and persistent approach in the courtroom. There’s also another reason he’s terrifying…
Read: A third party offered money to Grace Mugabe’s assault victim to dismiss charges – Gerrie Nel
It must be incredibly unnerving to go up against someone who could choke-slam you AND know enough about the law to avoid any consequences for it.
So, just how did Nel make his name?
Chris Hani
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When the former SA Communist Party leader, Chris Hani, was murdered by a far-right extremists, South Africa was fragile. A prosecution was needed…
During the 1993 murder trial, Gerrie Nel was appointed as the Junior Prosecutor. Apartheid MP Clive Derby-Lewis and Polish expat Janusz Walus conspired to kill the charismatic leader, and were charged for his assassination. Both received life sentences.
Jackie Selebi
The ex-Interpol head was facing major charges of corruption and would need to come up against stern opposition to face justice. Enter the bulldog…
The case itself was an ongoing drama; 20 police officers stormed Nel’s house in January 2008 on suspicion of fraud, yet nothing was ever proven. Thought to be an attempt to disrupt the case, Gerrie ploughed on and secured a 15-year jail sentence for Selebi, who was released on medical parole in 2012
Oscar Pistorius
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Obviously. This was the case that gripped the entire planet and had Nel right at the centre of it all.
It’s fair to say that the bulldog hounded Oscar Pistorius during the trial in 2014. Gerrie cemented his notorious reputation when a global audience saw him berate the ex-paralympian for crying excessively… After HE made Oscar cry.
“Why are you getting emotional?” and “You’re not doing yourself any favours” became two callous phrases he would use towards Mr Pistorius, whose culpable homicide charge eventually became a six-year sentence for murder.
