Former South Africa cricketer Thami Tsolekile arrested for assaulting a minor
Thami Tsolekile the former South Africa wicketkeeper-batsman has been arrested on the charges of assaulting a 14-year-old minor boy at Cape Town, near Pinelands High School. Tsolekile continues to bring a bad name to the country as he was recently banned from the sport for 12 years after being found guilty of attempting to fix matches during the 2015 edition of the RamSlam T20 competition.
The charge sheet alleges that he grabbed the teenager by the chest, and hit him in the face with an open hand. The boy may not be identified as he is 14 and still a minor.
Tsolikele was formally charged with common assault at the Goodwood Magistrates Court on Tuesday (September 13), the former keeper's first public appearance since being arrested on September 8th, according to the prosecution lawyer, Moosa Adonis. The cricketer has denied all the charges and in fact alleged that the boy had pelted stones at his car.
In his match fixing involvement, Tsolekile is reported to have been paid at least R75,000 during the RamSlam 2015, the premier South African domestic T20 league to influence the outcome of a match.
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Tsolekile was a regular wicketkeeper and captain of the Cape Cobras. At the beginning of the 2009/10 season, Tsolekile moved up to Johannesburg to go play for the Highveld Lions, after losing his place in the Cape Cobras side to Ryan Canning.
Tsolekile in his international career featured in 2 Tests against India on the 2004 tour. He last represented South Africa in a Test match in 2004 vs England at Port Elizabeth. He did not any impact with the bat though, as he scored a meagre 47 runs in his 3 innings for the country. He made his most recent first-class appearance for the Lions against Dolphins in March 2015.