Former South Africa fast bowler Lonwabo Tsotsobe, wicketkeeper-batter Thami Tsolekile and Titans medium pacer Ethy Mbhalati have been arrested and charged with five counts of corruption.
The trio has been charged under Section 15 of the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act, 2004, as reported by ESPNcricinfo. Notably, Section 15 of the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act, deals with corrupt activities relating to sporting events.
The three players are among the seven who were banned by Cricket South Africa (CSA) for bringing the game into disrepute. Notably, CSA had imposed a ban on them for their involvement in attempts to fix games during the 2015-16 season of the Ram Slam Challenge – CSA’s premier domestic T20 competition of that time. The cases against the trio have been postponed until February 2025.
Left-handed batter, Gulam Bodi was the first one of the seven players to serve time in prison whereas Jean Symes and Pumi Matshikwe were handed suspended sentences for pleading guilty. Former South Africa Test opener, Alviro Petersen was the seventh player but there are no details of any legal action against him.
The players involved have been charged based on the investigative report filed by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI). The DPCI is a branch of the South African Police Service and deals with matters pertaining to organized crime.
“Corruption undermines the integrity of sport, and the Hawks are determined to safeguard the values of fairness and professionalism in all areas of society. We thank Cricket South Africa for their cooperation and commitment to addressing this scourge,” Lieutenant General Godfrey Lebeya, National Head of the DPCI, said in a statement issued on Friday, as reported by ESPNcricinfo.
Significantly, Tsotsobe represented South Africa across the formats. He played five Tests after making his red-ball debut against West Indies at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain, Trinidad in June 2010.
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The left-arm speedster claimed 94 wickets in 61 ODIs and 18 wickets in 23 T20Is for the Proteas. His last appearance for South Africa came against the Dutch during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Bangladesh in 2014. His last Test appearance came against India in Cape Town in January 2011.
