Career
He previously served as the Minister of Law and Order in the South African government under Frederik Willem de Klerk. He was born in 1941 in Kakamas, Northern Cape. He became known for having questioned the objectivity of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and for having advocated for the return of the death penalty.
He defected to the Democratic Party in june 2000.
The DP had overtaken the Natural Philosophy as the official opposition in the National Assembly of South Africa after the election held the year before. Kriel was married to Anna-Mari (née Jooste).
He died on 5 July 2015, aged 73.