Amidst the storm of flying objects and the awful clash between Esperance and Mamelodi Sundowns fans, a single act of humanity shone through. In the maelstrom of the Sundowns-Esperance match, where passion erupted into violence, Siboniso Masango, a Sundowns fan, became a beacon of hope.
The chilling image of a man clinging precariously to the railing, the stadium’s paving yawning several metres beneath him, could have been a scene of tragedy. But Masango, fuelled not by the fervour of rivalry but by the innate compassion that defines our shared humanity, acted. He didn’t hesitate, didn’t calculate the risks, he simply ran.
“Yesterday was just insane,” he told Sundowns’ Pitchside Podcast. “After yesterday, I went home and slept like on a normal day. I woke up the next morning, and only after speaking to my friends, [it dawned] ‘Do you realise what you did?’” he added.
“Only then did I see the video. Someone took a video from the bottom, and you just see how high up that man was. But only now, as the day progressed, did I realise, ‘Ok, wow. This is insane.’”
‘IT WAS JUST ADRENALINE’ – SUNDOWNS FAN MASANGO
The adrenaline, the sheer urgency of the situation, propelled him forward, past the shocked onlookers, towards the desperate figure.
“It was just adrenaline. As a football fan, that’s not what you want to see; no matter the differences, the right thing to do at that moment is to help someone. I ran, there were people in front of me just watching in shock. I ran because I saw what was happening.”
Masango recalls the terror in the Esperance fan’s eyes and that desperate plea. The Taraji fan was so sure Masango was coming to finish him off. “Please, my brother, don’t do it. I’m a father of three kids.” At that moment, the lines of allegiance blurred, the colours of the jersey faded, and all that remained was the shared vulnerability of two human beings.
Masango’s response, “no, no don’t worry, I won’t let you go,” was a lifeline, a promise whispered against the rising tide of fear. Videos have emerged of Masango guiding the trembling man, his safety secondary to the urgent need to save a life.
“The crazy thing is, even in that moment, as I’m trying to help this person, I’m still being attacked. I’m helping someone else, but I’m still being attacked. Bottles are being thrown at me.
“But then we went to the back and offered him some water, and we both had a heartfelt moment. He was saying, ‘Thank you so, so much’.”
The Betway Premiership side – Masandawana secured a tense 1-0 victory over the Tunisian giants, but the match was marred by chaos in the stands following the final whistle. Fans from both sides engaged in violent clashes, throwing water bottles, flares, and even parts of seats and security gates at one another.
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