Had Hansie Cronje been alive now, he would have celebrated his 55th birthday on Sep 25. Perhaps he would have been a well known cricket commentator and a television personality. He would have been sought after by the media for his expertise.
Instead, today his remains lie forgotten in a grave in Bloemfontein. After being banned from cricket, he died in an aircrash when he was only 32 years old. “I had a great passion for the game and my country.
But the problem was the unfortunate addiction I had for money. Words cannot begin to describe the shame, humiliation and pain I feel. To my wife, family, and team-mates, I apologise profusely,” sobbed a tearful Hansie Cronje while speaking before Justice Edwin King, head of the King’s Commission which was enquiring into the match fixing fiasco involving South Africa’s most infamous cricket captain.
But what could have led to his addiction for money ? One can understand if a person has had a childhood marked by poverty and deprivation. That could lead to the development of an overwhelming greed for money and the luxuries that it can buy. But Cronje belonged to the privileged white community of South Africa.
He had all that he wanted in life. He went to a school where children of prosperous families studied. He had the best of clothes and the best of food.
His family were very law abiding and religious people. The importance of discipline, dedication and hard work had been inculcated in Cronje from an early age. When he was appo.
