Pretoria – Former SA national team cricketers, 44-year-old Thamsanqa Tsolekile and 40-year-old Lonwabo Lennox Tsotsobe have appeared in the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in relation to a match-fixing scheme.
Tsolekile and Tsotsobe were arrested on 28 and 29 November 2024 respectively.
Another accused in the matter, 43-year-old Ethy Mbhalati was arrested earlier on 18 November 2024.
The cricket players were implicated in a match-fixing scheme during the 2015/2016 domestic T20 Ram Slam Challenge.
The arrests come after a meticulous investigation by the Serious Corruption Investigation component of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) – better known as the Hawks, following allegations reported by a whistleblower in October 2016.
Mbhalati has since appeared in the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court and the matter was postponed to 20 February 2025.
Tsolekile and Tsotsobe were charged with five counts of corruption under Section 15 of the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act, 2004.
They both appeared in the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court today, (29 November 2024), where their case was postponed to 26 February 2025 for disclosure.
The matter was first reported by Cricket South Africa’s Anti-Corruption Officer after suspicions of match-fixing emerged involving former Protea player Gulam Bodi.
Investigations revealed that Bodi approached several players to participate in fixing three T20 Ram Slam matches, working in collusion with bookmakers from India.
In that case, the DPCI ensured that Bodi was arrested in July 2018, pleaded guilty to eight counts of corruption, and was sentenced to five years’ direct imprisonment in October 2019.
The other accused, Jean Symes who was arrested in May 2021, pleaded guilty to one count of corruption and was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment, wholly suspended for five years.
The third accused, Pumi Matshikwe who was arrested in February 2022, pleaded guilty to one count of corruption and was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment, wholly suspended for five years.
Lieutenant General Godfrey Lebeya, National Head of the DPCI, commended the team for their unwavering commitment to tackling corruption, even in sectors where it often goes unnoticed.
“Corruption undermines the integrity of sport, and the Hawks are determined to safeguard the values of fairness and professionalism in all areas of society,” said Lieutenant General Lebeya.
“We thank Cricket South Africa for their cooperation and commitment to addressing this scourge.”
Lieutenant General Lebeya urged all individuals with information on corrupt activities to come forward and report such matters.
He said the fight against corruption was a “collective responsibility”.
