New Delhi, 30 November (Hindustan Reporter). Former South African cricketers Lonwabo Tsotsobe and Thami Tsolekile as well as former Titans bowler Ethi Mbhalati have been arrested and charged with five counts of corruption under Section 15 of the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act 2004.
He has been charged under Section 15 of the Act, which deals with corrupt activities relating to sporting events, including taking or offering to give a bribe to another person to engage in any act which prejudges any sporting event. Threatens to undermine the integrity of the event or affect the course of the game.
The allegations relate to the match-fixing saga surrounding the 2015–16 Ram Slam Challenge. These three players are among seven players who were banned by Cricket South Africa in 2016 and 2017 for their involvement in attempts to fix matches during domestic T20 tournaments. Ghulam Bodi is already in jail, while Jean Sims and Pumi Matshikwe were given suspended sentences after pleading guilty in 2021 and 2022 respectively.
Cricket South Africa (CSA) has also imposed bans of two to 12 years on all players due to their involvement in the game.
The Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act came into force in 2000 following the Hansie Cronje match-fixing scandal, and it is understood this is the first time it is being used to charge players with crimes.
The charges follow an investigation by the Directorate of Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), known as the Hawks, a specialized branch of the South African Police Service that investigates organized and economic crime.
DPCI national head Lieutenant General Godfrey Lebeya said in a statement released on Friday that corruption undermines the integrity of the game, and the Hawks are determined to defend the values of fairness and professionalism in all spheres of society. We thank Cricket South Africa for their cooperation and commitment in dealing with this crisis.
At the time of the initial investigation, CSA said that no matches in the tournament were affected by fixing after the conspirators’ plan failed. It has since been established that the body colluded with India’s bookies by contacting a number of players to take part in fixing three matches in the tournament and also underscoring that no fixing had actually taken place.
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Hindusthan News / Sunil Dubey
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