Eric Tinkler’s return to haunt his former club ended in triumph as Sekhukhune United, despite going down to 10 men early in the second half, claimed a gritty 2-1 victory over Cape Town City in Sunday’s Betway Premiership clash at Cape Town Stadium.
In just his third league game at the helm of Sekhukhune since his departure from City, Tinkler secured a second win to continue an impressive start to life with Babina Noko. The victory lifts Sekhukhune into third place on the table with 37 points from 23 matches, while City’s alarming slide under interim coach Andre Arendse continues—they now sit 14th with just 24 points from 25 outings.
Sekhukhune wasted no time asserting their dominance. Samkele Sihlali opened the scoring in the 27th minute, capitalizing on slack defending to fire the visitors ahead. Chibuike Ohizu then doubled the advantage shortly before the break, slotting home from close range after a neat cutback from Vuyo Letlapa.
The match took a dramatic turn moments after halftime when Khulekani Shezi received a straight red card for a reckless challenge, reducing the visitors to 10 men with over 40 minutes still to play.
City looked to make the most of the numerical advantage but lacked urgency for much of the second half. It wasn’t until the 76th minute that substitute Kayden Francis offered a glimmer of hope, calmly finishing a low delivery from Jaedin Rhodes to reduce the deficit.
Despite intense pressure in the final stages, Sekhukhune remained composed, with Letlapa nearly restoring the two-goal cushion late on, only to drag his effort wide.
The result condemned Cape Town City to their 13th defeat of a dismal campaign and increased the pressure on a team that now finds itself embroiled in a relegation scrap. For Tinkler, however, the win is a statement of intent as he looks to guide Sekhukhune into continental contention.
