http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport/hi/english/cricket/newsid_2020000/2020470.stm= Former South Africa cricket captain Hansie Cronje has been killed in a = plane crash in the country's Western Cape province.=20 The plane, carrying three passengers, crashed outside the city of = George, about 500 kilometers east of Cape Town.=20 "He (Cronje) was killed. We can confirm that," said sports ministry = spokesman Graham Abrahams.=20 Relatives of Cronje said the plane left Johannesburg for George early = Saturday morning but was unable to land due to poor weather conditions = and crashed at about 0500 GMT (0600 BST).=20 It appears the pilot tried to circle before landing but crashed in the = rugged Outeniqua mountains.=20 Rescue officials traveling to the area by helicopter spotted three = people lying on the ground, but were unable to land because of the rough = terrain to determine if the three were alive or dead.=20 Hansie Cronje was banned for life from the game by the United Cricket = Board of South Africa in 2000.=20 The decision was later endorsed by the game's governing body, the = International Cricket Council, after e admitting to taking money to fix = matches involving South Africa.=20 Cronje sparked the matchfixing scandal after Indian officials said they = had tape recordings of him talking with an Indian bookmaker during the = team's tour of the subcontinent.=20 Several teammates later told a government commission that Cronje = conveyed to them an offer in 1996 of up to $350,000 (=D0=88180,000) to = lose a one-day game against India.=20 Cronje denied that, but admitted receiving $100,000 from gamblers in = exchange for match information and conveying other offers from gamblers = to teammates to perform badly.=20