Former South African cricketers Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Thami Tsolekile, and former Titans bowler Ethy Mbhalati have been arrested and charged with five counts of corruption related to the 2015-16 Ram Slam T20 Challenge match-fixing scandal.
The charges, filed under Section 15 of the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act, 2004, allege that the trio accepted or offered bribes to manipulate matches, threatening the integrity of the sport. The allegations were investigated by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), also known as the Hawks, a division of the South African Police Service.
The case involves accusations of colluding with Indian bookmakers to fix three matches during the domestic T20 tournament. However, Cricket South Africa (CSA) previously confirmed that no matches were ultimately impacted as the plans were thwarted.
The three players were among seven banned by CSA between 2016 and 2017 for their involvement in the match-fixing plot. Others implicated include Gulam Bodi, who served a prison sentence, and Jean Symes and Pumi Matshikwe, who received suspended sentences after pleading guilty. There is no update on potential charges against Alviro Petersen, the seventh player linked to the scandal.
This marks the first time South Africa’s anti-corruption law, introduced after the Hansie Cronje match-fixing scandal in 2000, is being applied to athletes. The cases against Tsotsobe, Tsolekile, and Mbhalati have been postponed until February 2025.
Lieutenant General Godfrey Lebeya, head of the Hawks, emphasized the significance of combating corruption in sports:
“Corruption erodes the integrity of sports, and the Hawks are committed to upholding fairness and professionalism. We commend Cricket South Africa for its cooperation in addressing this issue.”
