Three former ‘match-fixing’ South Africa cricketers arrested for 8 years’ old scandal

Three former South African players, Thami Tsolekile, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, and Ethy Mbhalati, who were accused in a match-fixing scandal in October 2016, were arrested for their involvement in the scandal on November 18, 28, and 29, respectively.

The former star players Thami, Lonwabo and Ethy Mbhalati were implicated in a match-fixing scandal in the T20 Ram Slam Challenge 2015/16.

The arrests followed an investigation by the Serious Corruption Investigation unit of the DPCI, which was prompted by allegations made by a whistleblower in October 2016.

Former South African players arrested after investigation

When Cricket South Africa’s anti-corruption officer discovered suspicious activities regarding former Proteas player Gulam Bodi in 2016, the first inquiry into match-fixing claims began.

Investigations revealed evidence that Bodi had approached multiple players to influence the results of three local Twenty20 matches, Colonel Mogale said. He was collaborating with Indian bookmakers on this project.

After being taken into custody in July 2018, Bodi entered a guilty plea to eight charges of corruption. He received a five-year prison sentence in October 2019.

“Tsolekile and Tsotsobe were both charged with five counts of corruption under Section 15 of the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act, 2004 (PRECCA).

“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,” Mogale said.

‘Match-fixers’ in Interntional career

Among the three cricketers arrested for the match-fixing scandal, only Lonwabo Tsotsobe managed to play for South Africa’s international team, while Ethy Mbhalati and Thami Tsolekile remained limited to First-Class and List A cricket.

Tsotsobe, a former left-arm pacer, represented South Africa in 5 Tests, 61 ODIs, and 23 T20Is. His last appearance for the Proteas was during the 2014 T20 World Cup in Bangladesh, where South Africa reached the semifinals.