MANZINI – Lucky Fortune, the man accused of assaulting referee Celumusa Sphepho during the Mavuso Mayhem incident, was yesterday fined E2 000 by the Manzini Magistrates Court
Fortune was charged with assault during the chaotic Mavuso Sports Centre incident, admitted to entering the field, but clarified that he never laid a hand on the referee. He was arrested during the skirmish that broke out towards the end of the Ingwenyama Cup Last 16 clash between Mbabane Highlanders and Nsingizini Hotspurs at Mavuso Sports Centre two days ago.
Fortune appeared before Magistrate Philisiwe Simelane on charges of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm. Court documents allege that on February 22, 2026, at or near Mavuso Sports Centre in the Manzini District, Fortune unlawfully and intentionally assaulted Sphepho by punching and kicking him multiple times, intending to cause serious injury.
Although Fortune admitted to disrupting the game, he told the court he never assaulted nor knew the referee.
“Your Worship, honestly, I never even came close to where he was assaulted. I admit I ran onto the field and disrupted play, but I never beat anyone,” he said.
When asked if he knew Sphepho, Fortune replied: “Your Worship, I don’t even know Sphepho,” which he loosely translated in siSwati as “Nkhosi yenkantolo, angimati nalo Sphepho.” He added that he did not even see the referee during the chaos.
Asked about his state at the time, Fortune admitted to consuming alcohol. “I only took a can of beer, but I admit things got out of hand. If the police had not intervened, it would have gotten worse,” he said.
Magistrate Simelane reprimanded Fortune, saying as an adult he should have known better than to storm the field.
“You knew what you were doing was wrong. I do not expect you, at your age, to conduct yourself like that. This is behaviour expected from children, how will you condemn it if you are also doing such?” she asked.
In a plea for leniency, Fortune told the court that he is a self-employed mechanic and the sole provider for both his children and those of his late brother.
“I entered the field out of anger and disagreement with the referee’s decision. I know what I did was wrong and it should never happen again,” he said.
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… police explain fan shooting
MANZINI – The Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) has broken silence on the violence that marred Sunday’s high-stakes clash between Nsingizini Hotspurs and Mbabane Highlanders.
They provided a detailed account of how a supporter, Elijah ‘Yellow Man’ Mavimbela, ended up in hospital.
The incident occurred on Sunday at the Mavuso Sports Centre. As the clock approached 5:50pm, the atmosphere turned volatile. According to police reports, a group of supporters believed to be Highlanders fans breached the perimeter and invaded the pitch, targeting match officials.
The situation quickly spiralled out of control as the ‘uncompromising’ crowd outnumbered the general duty officers assigned to the game, forcing the tactical Operational Support Service Unit (OSSU) to move in from their positions at the far end of the stadium.
In seeking clarity on the day’s bloodshed, the Times Sports Desk reached out to the police with specific questions regarding the use of force and the resulting casualties. When asked to specify the methods used to restore order and the condition of the victims, Inspector Mazwi Ndzimandze confirmed that police were forced to fire rubber bullets to disperse the riotous crowd and protect the match officials.
*Full article available on Pressreader*
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