Cronje death threat suspect nabbed

Fakir Hassen

A suspect who made death threats against disgraced former South Africa cricket captain Hansie Cronje was nabbed by police in Bloemfontein.

This was just hours after the cricketer came out fighting at a press conference on Tuesday against allegations of undisclosed sums of money in 19 bank accounts.

A 61-year-old pensioner was taken into custody on allegations of having made a phone call to Cronje's father, Ewie Cronje, in which he allegedly said that his son would be shot dead if he returned to Bloemfontein.

The call was recorded on Ewie Cronje's answering machine and traced to the suspect by private investigators assisted by the telephone company Telkom.

The suspect reportedly said the call had been a joke, but Cronje senior said it was a very sick one. The man is said to be a former roommate of Cronje senior at the Grey College, which they both attended many years ago.

Ewie Cronje said the call was very disturbing in view of the fact that it came not only while he was making arrangements for his mother-in-law's funeral but also when his son was busy with the press conference, trying to clear his name after allegations of stashed funds.

The allegations had appeared in the British newspaper the Sunday Telegraph that he had stashed away more than 10 million rands in 19 bank accounts.

Cronje, who has been banned for life for his involvement in match-fixing, produced evidence to justify all the untested deposits listed by forensic auditors.

He will contest the life ban in the high court in September, and will meet the public prosecutor, Bulelani Ngcuka, on Wednesday to discuss the issue of the amnesty he had been promised if he came clean at the King Commission.

The commission has since closed down, but its chairman, Judge Edwin King, said he could not give a clear ruling on whether Cronje should granted indemnity.

The cricketer also faces possible action for currency and taxation contraventions.

Indo-Asian News Service