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Sunday, January 12, 2025

Shock! South African cricketers arrested for match-fixing


Past South Africa players Lonwabo TsotsobeThamsanga Tsolekile and Ethy Mbhalati were arrested by the Priority Crime Investigation Department. This comes after the trio were embroiled in a match-fixing scandal during the 2015/2016 T20 Ram Slam Challenge.

According to reports on Cricbuzz, Eti Mbhalati was taken into police custody on November 18, while Tsolekile and Tsotsobe were arrested on November 28 and 29 respectively. The Serious Corruption Investigation unit of the DPCI was involved in an extensive investigation and hence they decided to arrest the trio.

Former South African players Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Thamsanga Tsolekile and Ethy Mbhalati appeared in the Pretoria Specialized Commercial Offenses Court.

Eti Mbhalati got a bit of a run after appearing in the Pretoria Specialized Commercial Offenses Court. His match-fixing case has been postponed until next year. The case was adjourned till February 20, 2025 for further directions.

On the other hand, Tsolekile and Tsotsobe were charged with five counts of corruption under the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Practices Act 2004 (PRECCA). Their case was heard on Friday (November 29) and adjourned to February 26, 2025 for a statement.

Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Thamsanga Tsolekile and Eti Mbhalati were found guilty of match-fixing after collusion by a former consultant. the south African player Ghulam Bodi. Cricket South Africa’s anti-corruption officer has raised speculations about the same and the investigation is ongoing.

It was revealed that Bodi had been dealing with Indian bookies and had approached players to manipulate three T20 Ram Slam matches. The Priority Crime Investigation Department later arrested the former South African National Cricket Team player in July 2018.

Jean Symes and Pumi Matshikwe, along with Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Thamsanga Tsolekile and Ethy Mbhalati, took part in the called games.

Ghulam Bodi pleaded guilty to eight counts of corruption and was subsequently sentenced to five years in prison in October 2019. He convinced not only Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Thamsanga Tsolekile and Eti Mbhalati but some players to engage in match-fixing.

Jean Symes was also part of the scandal. He was arrested in May 2021, convicted of one count of corruption and sentenced to four years in prison (a total of five years). Another name in the saga was Pumi Matshikwe, who was arrested on similar charges in February 2022 and sentenced to six years in prison (out of a total sentence of five years).

We thank Cricket South Africa for their cooperation and commitment to this scourge – National Head of DPCI, Lt Gen Godfrey Lebeya

The national head of DPCI, Lt. Gen. Godfrey Lebeya, issued a strong statement saying they are committed to maintaining fairness and professionalism. He also thanked Cricket South Africa for their cooperation.

“Corruption undermines the integrity of sport. The Falcons are committed to maintaining fairness and professionalism in all areas of society. We thank Cricket South Africa for their cooperation and commitment to this scourge.”

Also read: Watch: India’s new ODI jersey unveiled by Jay Shah, Harmanpreet Kaur in Mumbai



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