A man has admitted that he has a gambling problem and has asked to be banned from using mobile money.
This was said by 30-year-old Irvin Mbatsana of Mpolonjeni during court proceedings, as he pleaded for leniency while facing fraud-related charges at the Manzini Magistrate’s Court.
Mbatsana, who is now accused of making fake proofs of payment and fraudulent electronic transactions a criminal enterprise, made the plea before Magistrate Philisiwe Simelane long before he was arrested on a fresh string of allegations involving bogus Bushfire Festival tickets, fake bank transfers and theft by false pretences.
His latest legal troubles come after he was charged at the Mbabane Magistrate’s Court with six counts of theft by false pretences involving more than E33 000.
Among the allegations is the fraudulent sale of Bushfire Festival tickets worth E19 000 he committed using forged proof of payment.
However, the Manzini matter dates back to last year, when Mbatsana was charged with four counts of fraud and theft by false pretences involving approximately E61 000.
According to the charge sheet, Mbatsana allegedly posed as the secretary of Sisekelo High School on two occasions in May 2025 to obtain 100 reams of Typek paper from Mass Cash and Carry.
It is alleged that he presented fraudulent Nedbank proof-of-payment documents for transactions valued at E19 750 each.
In another incident, he allegedly used the same deception to obtain a 55-inch Skyworth television worth E5 800 from Auction Masters in Moneni after presenting another fake proof of payment.
The fourth count alleges that he deceived businessman Zahir Abdul Gafur into releasing eight Samsung S805 mobile phones valued at E15 700 after falsely claiming he would deliver them to the National Disaster Risk Management Authority.
Mbatsana first appeared before the Manzini Magistrate’s Court on August 8, 2025, when he was granted bail of E4 000 under standard conditions, including that he refrained from committing similar offences, avoid interfering with State witnesses and attend all court proceedings.
When the matter returned to court on November 21, 2025, Mbatsana informed the court that he had hired an attorney who was unavailable to attend that day’s proceedings.
The Crown, represented by Prosecutor Phila Matsenjwa, immediately applied for the revocation and forfeiture of his bail, arguing that Mbatsana had breached his bail conditions after allegedly being convicted of a similar fraud offence at the Mbabane Magistrate’s Court while still out on bail.
Faced with the application, Mbatsana admitted that he had violated his bail conditions and begged the court for another chance.
“I have a gambling problem, which I ask the court to help me with by banning me from using mobile money. May I not be sent back into custody,” he pleaded.
The court deferred its ruling and temporarily released him on his own recognisance. The matter was subsequently postponed several times after Mbatsana repeatedly cited the absence of his legal representative.
Appearing again before Magistrate Simelane on Wednesday, Prosecutor Matsenjwa reminded the court that the State’s application to revoke Mbatsana’s bail had been delayed for months because of repeated postponements sought by the accused.
Matsenjwa urged the court to finally deliver its ruling.
Mbatsana, however, objected, saying he wanted the ruling to be made in the presence of his lawyer.
He also informed the court that he was awaiting a letter from a psychiatric hospital, which he claimed would declare him unfit to stand trial due to an undiagnosed mental illness.
“I know that I am mentally ill; it is just that the doctor has not yet told me the name of my illness,” he told the court.
Despite his submissions, Magistrate Simelane granted the State’s application, revoked and forfeited his bail and ordered that he be remanded in custody until July 22, when he is expected to stand trial. He will also face a charge of contempt of court arising from his failure to attend previous proceedings.
Meanwhile, Mbatsana continues to face six additional counts of theft by false pretences before the Mbabane Magistrate’s Court.
The most significant allegation relates to the purported sale of Bushfire Festival tickets worth E19 000 to Thembeka Gamedze on May 18 using a fraudulent proof of payment.
