PRETORIA - Pumelela Matshikwe (37), has been sentenced for corruption in contravention of the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities (PRECCA) Act, following a plea agreement with the state in the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crime Court on Friday.
The Hawks’ Serious Corruption Investigation ensued in June 2016, following a complaint launched by Cricket South Africa (CSA). Matshikwe was consequently served with court summons and charged on 17 February 2022 which has culminated in his conviction.
The case relates to the 2015/16 T20 ram-slam cricket tournament hosted in South Africa where Matshikwe received a total of R50 000-00, enticement to participate in match fixing during the said tournament. The investigations further revealed that he was further promised $50 000 per fix which would have netted him approximately R700 000-00 per occurrence. Matshikwe, however never participated in the spot fixing apart from receiving the initial R50 000-00 enticement which he admitted to when the whistle was blown.
The investigation, led by CSA implicated four other individuals for their role in the conspiracy. They were banned for between seven and twelve years by International Cricket Council (ICC). A former Proteas, Lions and Titans player Gulam Bodi was the first to be convicted in this case to five years imprisonment in October 2019, after he admitted to charges of attempting to fix matches in the same series. Bodi acted as an intermediary for international betting syndicates, approaching certain players with a view to engaging in fixing activities during the competition.
Source: South African Police Service