By Nhlakanipho Mnqayi
Due to bad weather conditions, both AmaZulu FC and Nsingizini Hotspurs of eSwatini have been crowned the champions of the Prince Mangosuthu Legacy Cup at the Prince Mangosuthu Regional Stadium, oLundi this afternoon.
The match commissioner called off the final due to an unplayable, waterlogged pitch, and in the spirit of sportsmanship, both finalists agreed to be crowned joint champions for the 2025 edition.
The much anticipated tournament that started in the morning, saw supporters coming in numbers to support their teams regardless of the bad weather. They were entertained with goals and the singing of igwijo (football songs).
Speaking to Credible Source, Zululand District Municipality Mayor, Michael Khumalo, thanked the supporters who braved the wet weather.
“Due to bad weather, we saw that the players will be injured as the league games continues. We agreed that both clubs that were through to the final will be both crowned as champions. We will announce next year that which clubs will be part of the cup,” said Khumalo.
He said that what they will do is to invite other clubs from other provinces because the legacy of Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi is not only in KwaZulu-Natal, or in South Africa, but in Africa as well.
“As the bad rainy weather started yesterday, the supporters left their homes to come here. They leave us with the question of what we can do to improve yesterday and today to be different for tomorrow.”
“We want to assure the sports lovers that next year we will improve the standard of this cup,” added Khumalo.
Overall results of the Prince Mangosuthu Legacy Cup:
Semi-final 1
AmaZulu FC 2-1 Njampela FC
Nsingizini Hotspurs FC 0-0 Richards Bay FC (Nsingizini won 6-5 on penalties)
Final
AmaZulu FC vs Nsingizini Hotspurs FC (final called off due to waterlogged pitch, therefore both sides were crowned champions)
