GERRIE Nel shot to international fame in 2014, as the lead prosecutor in the Oscar Pistorius murder trial, but Nel is no stranger to the courtroom.

His tenacity in the courtroom has earned him the nickname, ‘The Bulldog’ and Nel has tackled several tough cases and come through on top, with his no-nonsense style of questioning earning him legions of fans.

The former state advocate resigned suddenly from the National Prosecuting Authority in January this year, after 35 years of service, to join AfriForum, a South African civil rights organisation that lends its voice to the rights of minority groups and aims to promote the protection of Afrikaner culture in our country.

Nel has received high praise from the BBC, being referred to as “one of South Africa’s most respected legal minds”.

“With more than 30 years’ experience, he has a string of successful prosecutions under his belt and is no stranger to high-profile cases. He prosecuted former police boss and Interpol’s ex-head, Jackie Selebi, on corruption charges, once calling him an “arrogant liar” during cross-examination,” stated the BBC, according to an article on www.huffingtonpost. “Those who know him praise his meticulous attention to detail and his fearlessness. He was junior prosecutor in the murder case of anti-apartheid activist, Chris Hani, in 1993. He was also the founding head, in 1999, of the Gauteng province division of South Africa’s elite police and prosecution unit, the Hawks, then known as the Scorpions.”

Not only has the ‘Bulldog’ joined up with AfriForum, he will also be visiting Vryheid on May 31, as part of a roadshow he is conducting, since joining up with the organisation.

Joining Gerrie Nel on his visit to Vryheid, will be Solidarity’s Flip Buys; CEO of AfriForum, Kallie Kriel; Helping Hand’s Riaan du Plooy and Head of Community Safety for AfriForum, Ian Cameron.

The hall at the NG Moedergemeente (Klipkerk) is sure to be packed on the evening of the visit and members of the community are invited to attend this prestigious opportunity to meet the man who has now opened an office for private prosecutions for AfriForum.

“I believe in the supreme authority of the law,” said Nel on the organisation’s website. “AfriForum’s newly founded private prosecuting unit gives me the opportunity to help ensure that justice triumphs from within civilian society, irrespective of the position of the person who is guilty of corruption. AfriForum and I are now in a position to prosecute ourselves corrupt persons who are not prosecuted by the NPA [National Prosecuting Authority].”

Kallie Kriel, CEO of AfriForum, says Nel’s appointment is a giant step ahead in AfriForum’s battle against corruption and the pillaging of tax payers’ money. According to Kriel, he trusts that Nel’s appointment will send a clear message to corrupt politicians and officials on national, provincial and local government levels that they can no longer be indemnified from prosecution due to their political contacts. (Source: Afriforum website)