Red Card, No Problem! AmaZulu March Into KZN Premier’s Cup Final Despite Mbanjwa Dismissal

Ten-man AmaZulu FC demonstrated their superior pedigree with a comfortable 2–0 victory over Midlands Wanderers at Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium on Saturday to secure a spot in the KZN Premier’s Cup final.

Unlike the earlier playoff fixtures, this victory sends Usuthu straight into Sunday’s final at Princes Magogo Stadium, where they will face the winner of the semi-final clash between Milford FC and defending champions Richards Bay.

Mlondi Mbanjwa opened the scoring for Usuthu after the Midlands Wanderers defense failed to clear their lines. Mbanjwa collected a loose ball on the edge of the penalty box and steadied himself before curling an effort toward goal. Midlands goalkeeper Ali Mwirusi scrambled back to make a desperate save, but referee Siyabonga Gasa ruled that the ball had crossed the goal line.

Mwirusi then committed a second costly blunder when he kicked an unpressured clearance directly to Thandolwenkosi Ngwenya. The Zimbabwean striker calmly rounded the stranded goalkeeper before slotting the ball into an empty net to double Usuthu’s lead.

Mbanjwa turned from hero to villain later in the match when he was sent off for a reckless challenge on Jabulani Mokone—the young winger on loan from Orlando Pirates following his DStv Diski Challenge title triumph last season.

Despite playing a man down, AmaZulu almost made it 3–0 when Athini Maqokolo released Nkosikhona Radebe on a swift counterattack, but Radebe inexplicably fired wide with only the keeper to beat.

Usuthu last lifted the KZN Premier’s Cup—the pre-season tournament backed by the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Sport, Arts and Culture—in 2023 under former head coach Pablo Franco Martín.