Three more people were arrested on Monday in the continuing blitz on soccer match-fixing in the country, police said.
Premier Soccer League (PSL) referee Enoch Hadebe and Dumisani Ndlovu of Hellenic Football Club were arrested in Durban, and Dolf Rousseau, the owner of Basotho Tigers, was arrested in Johannesburg, said senior superintendent Selby Bokaba, spokesperson for National Police Commissioner Jackie Selebi.
They appeared in court and were released on bail — R5 000 for Hadebe and Ndlovu and R3 000 for Rousseau.
This brought to 22 the number of people arrested in connection with match-fixing as part of ”Operation Dribble”, said Bokaba.
Bokaba said contrary to media reports there was no news blackout on the operation, but police would only be informing the media when arrests had already been made.
Meanwhile, Sturu Pasiya and Reginald (Bongile) Nkola, the owner and the director of Bush Bucks first-division team, would appear again in the East London magistrate’s court on Tuesday, said Bokaba.
Police battled to control the scores of people who came to witness their appearance in the regional court on Monday.
Their lawyers were objecting to the large bail (R15 000) the two men had been given, saying it created the impression their clients were facing more serious charges than the other implicated referees and officials.
Pasiya is a member of the PSL executive and one of the most senior officials arrested so far.
A band of devout Bush Bucks supporters, waving placards and brandishing vuvuzelas, chanted and sang at the building’s entrance while the two directors awaited their appearance.
Also there were Pasiya’s father Dan Pasiya, his wife Buyiswa Pasiya, Bush Bucks director Pilisa Mnqandi, Mkhuseli Mnguni, the son of prominent boxing promoter Mzi Mnguni, and Bush Bucks player Mbuyi Sambu. – Sapa