Bantu Football Club’s preparations for the forthcoming Vodacom Premier League (VPL) season took a serious turn after the Mafeteng giants defeated fellow title contenders Matlama FC 2-1 to lift the 2026 King’s Birthday Cup at Setsoto Stadium on Friday.
The victory, secured in dramatic fashion before a sizeable crowd celebrating the official birthday of His Majesty King Letsie III, offers an early indication that A Matšo Matebele will once again be among the teams to beat when the new league campaign kicks off next month.
While the annual King’s Birthday Cup remains a pre-season friendly tournament, the intensity, quality and competitiveness displayed by both sides reflected the significance of the fixture between two of Lesotho’s football heavyweights. More importantly for Bantu, it provided an opportunity to measure their readiness against one of their biggest rivals ahead of what promises to be another fiercely contested title race.
Bantu opened the scoring through Moeketsi Sekola, whose well-taken strike handed the Mafeteng-based outfit an early advantage in a fiercely contested encounter.
Matlama refused to back down and continued to press for an equaliser. Their persistence paid off in the 81st minute when Litšepe Marabe found the back of the net to level matters and set up a dramatic finale.
Just when the match appeared destined for a draw, Tšeliso Botsane emerged as Bantu’s hero. The forward struck in the 86th minute to send the Bantu faithful into celebration as his late goal secured a memorable 2-1 victory and the King’s Birthday Cup.
Held annually on July 17, the tournament celebrates His Majesty King Letsie III’s birthday while offering football supporters an early glimpse of the country’s top clubs as they fine-tune their preparations for the new season.
The triumph will undoubtedly provide a timely confidence boost as they continue building momentum for the forthcoming campaign for Bantu. Defeating a fellow VPL powerhouse in pre-season not only underlines the club’s ambitions but also suggests that their preparations are gathering pace at the right time.
Despite the defeat, Matlama took positives from the encounter, having used the match to raise funds for the club while assessing the progress of their new signings and overall squad depth.
Speaking after the match, Matlama’s Public Relations Officer Themba Talane said the club had achieved its main objectives despite the defeat.
“Our main objective as a club for this game was accomplished because we were collecting funds for the club, not only for us but also for our opponents,” Talane said.
“We have seen that fans do not usually come in large numbers for friendly matches, but this time they turned up in encouraging numbers.”
Talane explained that the technical team also used the fixture to assess the club’s new signings under competitive conditions.
“The coach wanted to test the new players to see whether they are ready for the pressure that comes with playing for Matlama. As a club, we can say they responded well, and the coach is satisfied with the new squad.”
He added that evaluating the team’s depth was another key priority before the start of the new campaign.
“We also wanted to determine whether we have enough quality in every position. We cannot rely on one player because if, for example, a defender gets injured, it creates problems for the team’s balance. We need to make the necessary adjustments before the league kicks off.”
The entertaining contest highlighted the intensity and quality expected in the upcoming Vodacom Premier League season, with both clubs showing encouraging signs as they continue their pre-season preparations.
Summary
- Bantu Football Club’s preparations for the forthcoming Vodacom Premier League (VPL) season took a serious turn after the Mafeteng giants defeated fellow title contenders Matlama FC 2-1 to lift the 2026 King’s Birthday Cup at Setsoto Stadium on Friday.
- The victory, secured in dramatic fashion before a sizeable crowd celebrating the official birthday of His Majesty King Letsie III, offers an early indication that A Matšo Matebele will once again be among the teams to beat when the new league campaign kicks off next month.
- Despite the defeat, Matlama took positives from the encounter, having used the match to raise funds for the club while assessing the progress of their new signings and overall squad depth.
Seabata Mahao is a general news reporter with special focus on Business and Sports. Started working at Newsday in 2021. Working in a team with a shared goal is what I enjoy most and that gives me the motivation to work under any environment leading to growth.
