Bodi weeps, alone in the dock

FORMER Proteas batsman Gulam Bodi cut a lonely figure as he stood in the dock in court 13 at the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court yesterday.

Sporting a red T-shirt and jeans, Bodi nervously glanced around the courtroom before proceedings began.

The 39-year-old was a shadow of himself, following a career as one of the most lethal batsman in South Africa, looking worn out and drained, with tears running down his face.

As proceedings started, Bodi clasped his hands together and tucked them behind his back, as Magistrate Nicola Setshogoe began reading out the corruption charges he was facing.

The former Titans, Lions and Dolphins cricketer glanced down at his feet as the magistrate informed him that he potentially faced a minimum of 15 years behind bars for the crimes he committed.

Despite the lengthy jail term that he could face as a first-time offender, Bodi told the court yesterday that he pleaded guilty to all eight corruption charges.

He is being charged under a little-known act, the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act, which makes provision for the prosecution of corrupt behaviour within sporting events.

The act was introduced after the 2000 match-fixing saga involving the late Hansie Cronje.

In January 2016, Bodi was suspended by Cricket South Africa for 20 years for his part in contriving to fix matches in the 2015 edition of the Ram Slam Challenge, South Africa’s premier T20 competition.

Bodi was banned from participating in any event organised, sanctioned, recognised or supported in any way by Cricket SA, the ICC, a National Cricket Federation or any member of a National Cricket Federation.

Six other players, Alviro Petersen, Thami Tsolekile, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Jean Symes, Pumi Matshikwe and Ethy Mbhalati were also implicated in the match-fixing scandal of 2015 and also could face jail time.

Bodi’s legal representative, Sinenhlanhla Mnguni, stressed his client had acknowledged his wrongdoing and pleaded for the court’s mercy.

Both the State and the defence told the court that they needed more time to gather evidence and compile reports required for sentencing procedures.

Magistrate Setshogoe said she had no issue with a postponement as the court acknowledged that Bodi handed himself in and had fully co-operated with authorities since his arrest in July this year.

If Bodi and the six other cricketers involved are imprisoned, it will represent a watershed moment in South Africa for the influence of the law in corruption in sport.

Outside the court, Bodi expressed remorse for his actions.

“It’s been a very tough few years,” he told Independent Media. “I’ve been banned for 20 years. That’s already a long sentence. So for me not to be able to do something I loved my entire life has been terribly hard.

“I haven’t really settled in the last three years. It’s been a constant battle. Just recently I managed to get a job, and after three years of running around and struggling, things started slowly looking a bit better, and now this comes up. It’s completely shattered me.”

Bodi said he took full responsibility for his actions, but admitted he was battling to deal with the consequences. “They pulled me out of school when I was just 16 and put me in a cricket academy. I don’t even have an education background to fall back on, so it’s been a real battle. This is going to greatly affect my job, and my family, because nobody wants to be associated with a criminal. It’s a tough world we live in.”

Mnguni, hoped the court would take into account the remorse his client has shown throughout the investigation.

“Before this whole thing transpired, my client was offered a job at a cricket academy and had also been commenting with SuperSport. The fact that the ban he received meant he couldn’t be involved with cricket took away any form of income he would be able to earn because in essence this man only knows cricket. He doesn’t have an academic background.”

Bodi’s will return to court on January 28 for sentencing.

GULAM BODI