M A I N   N E W S

Cronje’s voice on tapes, claims pastor

DURBAN, June 7 (PTI) — Hansie Cronje’s spiritual adviser, pastor Ray McCaulay, today admitted that the voice on the tapes recorded by the Delhi police was indeed that of sacked former South African cricket captain but clarified that Cronje did not intend to throw the match as suggested by the taped conversations.

Mr McCaulay said Cronje had told him he was just “playing with” the bookmakers and he never intended to throw a match or contact the players whose names he mentioned to bookmakers.

The Delhi police had charged Cronje, Herschelle Gibbs, Pieter Strydon, Nicky Boje and two Indians with fraud and cheating on the strength of the recorded conversations.

Mr McCaulay’s admission in Cape Town comes just ahead of the start of the first public hearing of the King Commission of Inquiry into match-fixing.

The commission hearings were delayed after one private television broadcaster E-TV submitted an urgent high court application to say it had the sole right to broadcast the entire proceedings of the commission.

The commission has summoned 45 witnesses, not all of whom will testify. Some of them will only be required to make sworn statements.

Mr King told journalists before the start of the proceedings that anyone found to be witholding information would be prosecuted according to law.

“I have the power to refer such persons to the Director of Public Prosecutions,” Mr King said referring to assertions by former South African captain Keppler Wessels that the commission would not be able to go to the bottom of the match-fixing scandal.