King report counters Cronje whitewash

Released just 15 hours after Hansie Cronje set about rebuilding his tattered public image with the enthusiastic co-operation of subscription television channel M-Net, the interim report of the King commission of inquiry presents an entirely different picture of South Africa's disgraced former captain.

On Thursday night M-Net aired the first of a three-part interview with Cronje, "Hansie, the Fallen Idol". There has been widespread speculation that Cronje was paid a considerable amount of money for his participation in the interview.

On the evidence of the first hour as Mike Haysman bowled Cronje a succession of gentle long hops, if money was handed over, it went the wrong way. Cronje could hardly have expected more sympathetic treatment if he'd handed over every cent he picked up from bookmakers over the years.

With shots of him strolling romantically along a beach arm in arm with his wife, the first hour seemed little more than a considered attempt to rehabilitate Cronje in the eyes of the South African public. He continued to maintain that his dealings with match-fixers over the years amounted to no more than a "mistake", argued that Herschelle Gibbs should be allowed to resume his international career because of his talent and took a dip at the United Cricket Board's selection policy.

There was no real attempt to discover the reason why Cronje took the cash, but then we already knew the answer. Two months ago he told the King commission of his "unfortunate love for money".

Judge Edwin King's report, delivered to President Thabo Mbeki on August 11 and made public on Friday, provides a drier and altogether more depressing version of the affair. As Judge King makes clear, this is not the last word on Hansiegate. The commission's hearings will resume in October and this week sports minister Ngconde Balfour suggested that a final report might be delivered in mid-November.

In essence the interim report, which contains no recommendations, is a distillation of the evidence led at the first session of hearings. It deals largely with evidence in regard to the commission's first three terms of reference:

Cronje's disclosure that he received money from a bookmaker in January;

Whether any member of the South African team or official received or was promised payment outside of his usual remuneration in relation to his functions in the team between November 1 last year and April 17 this year;

The proposal made to the South African team to throw a one-day international in India in 1996.

The fourth term of reference, which deals more widely with betting, match-fixing, inducements and other forms of corruption, says Judge King, "still requires consideration".

Ali Bacher's evidence, for instance, which consisted in large part of wide-ranging allegations of match-fixing and umpire-tampering on an international scale, is not dealt with in this document.

For all that this is not a final report, though, there are clear indications that Judge King takes a dim view of Cronje's activities. For instance, Judge King has this to say of Cronje's approaches to his team-mates - Derek Crookes, Jacques Kallis, Lance Klusener and Mark Boucher among others: "There is a common thread to these events which is shared by others where Cronjé sought to involve his teammates in match-fixing or related matters and that is that the initial approach is made jocularly. It seems that this was Cronje's modus operandi. He would sound out his colleagues, in a way which would enable him to say later, if the need arose, that he had only been joking. Herschelle Gibbs also testified that he was approached (in connection with the 5th ODI on 19 March 2000) by Cronjé with a "huge grin on his face". In fact Cronjé said in evidence that he felt shamed by Strydom saying that he wanted to do his best for his country and thereafter "tried to pass off the whole incident as a joke".

As far as the Centurion Park Test match is concerned, Judge King makes it clear that he believes Cronje's decision to contrive a result was influenced by Marlon Aronstam's offer of money: "Thus the decision was taken and the action pursuant thereto was influenced by the promise (and receipt) of a reward. Such other motive as there might have been is in this context secondary."

In a roundabout way Judge King raises the question of whether anything happened between January 1997 and January 2000. He says that "The evidence does not disclose that anything untoward happened" during this period; lists every international fixture undertaken by South Africa during this period; notes that Cronje was captain throughout; and then says: "It is interesting that the first time Cronje was approached to fix a match, he was prepared to and did entertain the suggestion."

Even as far back as 1995, seven weeks into his captaincy, Cronje was discussing match-fixing with a bookmaker known only as "John". He consulted Pat Symcox about an offer and eventually, on Symcox's advice, turned it down. But, says Judge King, "Cronjé recognised that if Symcox had been supportive they probably would have gone through with the idea".

The report is littered throughout with the names of "John", "Sanjay", "MK Gupte" and, of course, "Hamid `Banjo' Cassim". And Judge King has what might be a significant warning for Cassim, who sweated, wriggled and twisted through his evidence. "It would also appear that Cassim was more closely connected to Sanjay's betting activities than he, Cassim, is prepared to admit," says Judge King.