POPCRU CALLS FOR THE IMMEDIATE SUSPENSION OF ADVOCATE GERRIE NEL

The Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (POPCRU) notes with concern the alleged involvement of Advocate Gerrie Nel as contained in the affidavits submitted by former rogue-unit members to the Hawks, implicating him and Andrew Leask for having bankrolled bugging equipment worth R900, 000 which were secretly and illegally installed in 12 NPA offices and boardrooms at the NPA headquarters in Pretoria (see Sunday Times report).

The suggestion by former rogue-unit head Andries Janse van Rensburg that he wanted the group to have the power to decide who will next govern South Africa can only be interpreted as a secret ploy by the grouping, including Advocate Gerrie Nel to act outside the very law they seek to protect, which creates warranted doubt into their legitimacy as law keepers.

Our country has for over a decade been caught up in fights within the intelligence community, and we believe this has relegated the country’s interests at the expense of these groupings’ aim of determining the country’s agenda. In line with these revelations, we are of the view that all those who have or continue to act beyond the law should be brought to book.

We need to remind ourselves that the same Advocate Nel was amongst those who were arrested for corruption charges, which were later withdrawn.

Being among the ‘most celebrated’, we are of the view that such solemn allegations against Advocate Nel’s collusion with Andrew Leask and members of the rogue unit should be investigated and concluded upon as this will determine if his credibility is worth his current position.

We cannot, at any point in our democratic dispensation, have these rogue elements continuing to discredit institutions we look upon in combating organised crime.

POPCRU calls for the immediate suspension of Advocate Gerrie Nel, pending investigations into his role in the SARS spies’ saga.

Statement issued by POPCRU, May 18 2015