Home Sport Black players need to be treated fairly, says Tsolekile’s mother

Black players need to be treated fairly, says Tsolekile’s mother

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“This must be a lesson, that they treat each and every child, despite colour, race and language fairly and with respect and dignity.”

Thami Tsolekile has frequently highlighted instances of racism in domestic cricket. Picture: Kirsty Wigglesworth

CAPE TOWN – Nontuthuzelo Tsolekile, the mother of former Proteas wicketkeeper Thami, is grateful that his side of the story is being heard.

In a number of radio interviews over the last two weeks, the former Protea opened up about the 2015 domestic cricket match-fixing scandal and highlighted instances of racism that have followed him throughout his career, from when he was just 12 years old, to when he was a member of the senior national cricket team.

“I felt so relieved that the country is finally hearing Thami’s side of the story, and I’m glad that he’s coming out to tell the story for the whole country,” she said in a video chat with African News Agency.

Four years ago, Tsolekile was handed a 12-year ban from all cricket for his role in the 2015 match-fixing scandal that befell domestic cricket, and because of that, his relationship with his mother was affected.

“The relationship between me and Thami, which was so strong, was never the same. I wanted him to apologise, but he kept on saying, ‘I didn’t do anything wrong’, and I never believed him. But now that I can hear the story, I do believe him,” she said.

Tsolekile’s mother added that she hoped her son’s allegations of racism in cricket served as a lesson to Cricket South Africa in how they treated players of different races.

“This must be a lesson, that they treat each and every child, despite colour, race and language fairly and with respect and dignity,” she said.

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