- Extra-ordinary video evidence shown by Cricket South Africa's Anti-Corruption Unit chief Louis Cole detailed the extent of how organised the 2015 Ram Slam T20 match-fixing scheme was.
- Cole's four-hour testimony took up the bulk of the day at the Cricket for Social Justice and Nation-building hearings on Monday.
- The video was 30 minutes and showed unseen parts of the investigation, including testimony from fixing syndicates and mastermind Gulam Bodi.
Unprecedented video evidence revealed by Cricket South Africa's (CSA's) Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) officer Louis Cole revealed the extent of how organised the 2015 Ram Slam match-fixing scheme was.
Testifying at the CSA Cricket for Social Justice and nation-building (SJN) hearings, Cole presented previously unseen footage of the scheming that took place in a 30-minute video that partially delved into the match-fixing investigation.
A pensive looking, but confident sounding Cole, who has been with CSA in his current capacity since January 2015, was at pains to reveal this video.
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Being led by ENS director Aslam Moosajee, Cole said it was necessary to play the video in order to give further clarity into how the investigations were handled.
This was after numerous former cricketers sanctioned for their part in match-fixing cast aspersions on the investigative process which Cole and lawyer David Becker conducted, with some approaching the SJN with claims of being targeted on racial grounds.
The explosive video showed a syndicate fixer pointing to Gulam Bodi (the South African ringleader), Thami Tsolekile, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Ethy Mbhalati and Alviro Petersen, explaining the terms of how they actively participated in the match-fixing scam.
In one damning sequence, Tsolekile, who on radio and at the SJN alleged that the investigative process was flawed, is secretly recorded in a conversation by one of the fixers.
"We play on Sunday, and the four of the next five games are home games," Tsolekile said in the recording, a breach of the Anti-Corruption Code prohibiting insider knowledge being shared that could be used to aid betting syndicates.
When asked about player availability by the fixer, Tsolekile responded: "When you talk about the definites, it's me and Lopsy (Tsotsobe) and Pumi Matshikwe is also in. Jean Symes is also in, but I don't think he's going to play.
"If Pumi is fit, he is going to play."
Bodi was not only banned for 20 years from any cricket-related activity but was found guilty and sentenced to five years in jail for contravening the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act of 2004 that came into effect in the aftermath of the Hansie Cronje match-fixing scandal of 2000.
In the video, he explained how he got the various players in on the fix.
Other than his criminal court case at the commercial crimes court in Pretoria, it is the first time the public is made aware, first-hand, of the length and breadth of Bodi's role in fixing matches.
Bodi did not testify at the SJN, with the same being applicable for Jean Symes and Matshikwe who also did not appear.
Cole made a point of noting that Matshikwe was the naivest of the group and quickly admitted to his wrongdoing while Tsolekile, who is serving a 12-year-ban for his role in the scandal, was the least compliant.
In a recording of a 17 February 2016 meeting that formed part of the video, Bodi explained how Craig Alexander and Vaughn van Jaarsveld adamantly refused to be part of the fix, but also revealed how the others were reeled into the poisonous web.
"You can clearly see that there's been a 'no' from Craig and a 'no' from Vaughn, but when a man (Alviro Petersen) is negotiating, then you know that there's an attempt," Bodi said in the video.
In another clip, Bodi then explains how he got Tsolekile in on the fix in August 2015 while also saying that Tsotsobe received R60 000 while Tsolekile received R75 000.
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"I said: 'Thami look, I've got some people in India and this is the offer that they've put up and if you're keen, you could be the main person.'
"You're the captain and each fix is R600 000 (US$50 000). If Thami was batting, then it would be extra because he was batting lower down."
In a section dated 22 January 2016, Tsolekile then explained how Bodi got him in while also implicating Petersen.
"The first thing he (Bodi) said was: 'Mara (Tsolekile's nickname) come on, you're the captain and Alviro is in.'
"He was in for spot-fixing. He also mentioned that Matshikwe was also in. When he said Alviro was in, I told Bodi I didn't want to talk because it was time for practice."
