Three former South African cricketers—Thami Tsolekile, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, and Ethy Mbhalati—have been arrested in connection with a match-fixing scandal dating back to October 2016. Their arrests took place on November 18, 28, and 29, respectively, following detailed investigations by the Serious Corruption Investigation Unit of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI).
The scandal relates to the T20 Ram Slam Challenge during the 2015/16 season, where the trio was implicated in fixing matches. The matter initially came to light when Cricket South Africa’s (CSA) anti-corruption unit received reports of suspicious behaviour involving former cricketer Gulam Bodi.
Investigations revealed that Bodi had approached several players to manipulate the outcomes of three domestic T20 matches, sparking a wider probe into corruption in South African cricket.
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According to Colonel Mogale of the DPCI, both Tsolekile and Tsotsobe face five charges of corruption under the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act, 2004 (PRECCA). They appeared before the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on November 29, where their case was postponed until February 26, 2025, for disclosure of further evidence.
[MATCH-FIXING] Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime arrested three (3) former South African cricket players, Ethy Mbhalati (43), Thamsanqa Tsolekile (44) and Lonwabo Lennox Tsotsobe (40), implicated in a match-fixing scheme during the 2015/2016 domestic T20 Ram Slam Challenge. pic.twitter.com/u6DigVl2MX
— South African Criminal Justice System (@RSA_CJS) November 29, 2024
Notably, of the three accused, Lonwabo Tsotsobe had an international career, representing South Africa in all formats, while Tsolekile and Mbhalati’s cricketing achievements were confined to the domestic circuit. On the field, South Africa’s national team is currently dominating Sri Lanka in the first Test of their series at Kingsmead, Durban.
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Despite being dismissed for a modest 191 in their first innings, the Proteas bundled out Sri Lanka for a record low of 42 runs. With a commanding second-innings total of 366/5 declared, South Africa set an imposing target of 516 runs. As the match heads into its final stages, the hosts appear well-placed to secure a comprehensive victory.
