Tsolekile: South African match-fixing investigation was not fair

Cricket365
August 7, 2020

Former South Africa wicketkeeper Thami Tsolekile says that the investigation that saw him handed a 12-year ban was unfair and racially biased.

Tsolekile accused Cricket South Africa’s investigators of both incompetence and corruption in a recent interview with popular broadcast journalist Robert Marawa.

“Firstly, I apologise to my family, community, sponsors, cricketing world and – most importantly – to the public for being implicated in match-fixing,” Tsolekile told the Marawa Sport Worldwide podcast.

“But I think the people of South Africa deserve to know the truth and my story, which has been haunting me for the last five years. A lot of the guys have been barking. It’s now my time to bark.

“I’m here to speak the truth. The people of South Africa need to know the untold stories.”

Tsolekile claims that while he is guilty of match-fixing, CSA’s investigators totally missed the boat on the amounts he received and even when he took them. The former wicketkeeper described the investigators as ‘clueless’.

“I was very co-operative during the match-fixing investigation,” Tsolekile added.

“They came to my house. They searched my house. I gave them my bank details. They took my phone. Even today, though, they don’t have any facts. They are clueless.

“I was told I took R400,000 [£17,000 approx] at a casino in Johannesburg. I’ve been staying in Johannesburg for nine years. I’ve never been to the casino in Johannesburg.

“They claimed I took R75,000 [£3,000 approx] at The Grand. The Grand has cameras everywhere. There were no signs that I took money there.

“I was accused of taking R300,000 [£13,000 approx] at a garage in Durban. There are cameras all over the place there. There was no sign of that again.

“I was accused of taking R100,000 [£4000 approx] in Sandton. There was no sign of that.”

Tsolekile hinted that he would soon divulge further revelations.

Thami Tsolekile South Africa C365

“I will expose a lot of people, but not all of them. The investigation was not fair,” the former cricketer said.

Perhaps the most explosive revelation made by Tsolekile on the podcast was his accusation that CSA investigators deliberately shielded white players allowing Tsolekile and supposed ring-leader Gulam Bodi to take the fall.

Tsolekile claims that Bodi approached both Vaughan van Jaarsveld and Robbie Frylinck with offers to fix matches.

Both players remained contracted to the Dolphins franchise up until the 2019/20 season, and Frylinck played three T20Is between 2017 and 2018.

“Gulam approached Vaughn at North West during the Africa T20 Cup. But Vaughn never disclosed anything,” added Tsolekile.

“When he was asked by lawyer David Becker and the investigation officers, he said he was approached. But the investigation team defended him because he was a white player.

“For the last five years, my financial earnings have been cut. Vaughn, for the last five years, has been earning a salary.

“Frylinck was also involved in this. He did a game in the Champions League Twenty20, according to Bodi. But Frylinck, as an ex-Proteas player, he is still playing, and I am not.”

Frylinck was recently accused of punching former Dolphins teammate Aya Myoli on the team bus in a racially motivated attack which management allowed to slide.