New Delhi: Former South African cricketers Lonwabo Tsotsobe and Thami Tsolekile, along with former Titans bowler Ethy Mbhalati have been arrested by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), also known as the Hawks. The trio were implicated in a match-fixing scandal during the 2015-2016 T20 Ram Slam Challenge. Mbhalati was arrested on November 18 while Tsolekile and Tsotsobe were taken in on November 28 and 29 respectively.
Their arrests were a result of an extensive investigation by the DPCI’s Serious Corruption Investigation unit which was prompted by a report of a whistleblower in October 2016. Mbhalati appeared before the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court as his case was postponed to February 20, 2025, for further instructions. Meanwhile, Tsolekile and Tsotsobe are facing five counts of corruption under the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act, 2004 (PRECCA).
The duo had their cases heard on Friday (November 29) which were also postponed, to February 26, 2025, for disclosure. The case can be traced back to suspicions of an anti-corruption officer of Cricket South Africa (CSA) about ex-South Africa player Gulam Bodi’s involvement in match-fixing. Investigations resulted in Bodi being a conspirer with Indian bookmakers and approaching players to manipulate three T20 Ram Slam matches. The Hawks therefore arrested Bodi in July 2018 and he pleaded guilty to eight counts of corruption and was sentenced to five years of jail in October 2019.
Other players involved
The scandal also had some other players involved like Jean Symes, who was arrested in May 2021 and pleaded guilty to one count of corruption, receiving a sentence of four years and was also suspended for five years. Also found guilty was Pumi Matshikwe, who was arrested in February 2022 on similar charges, got six years of jail time, and was suspended for five years.
“Corruption undermines the integrity of sport. The Hawks are committed to upholding fairness and professionalism in all spheres of society. We thank Cricket South Africa for their cooperation and commitment to addressing this scourge,” the national head of the DPCI – Lieutenant General Godfrey Lebeya said.
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