The vuvuzela, probably the issue that the World Cup in South Africa will be best remembered for, has had its first reported involvement in serious violence, DPA reported.
The incident happened in neighbouring Zimbabwe, where three teenagers are facing charges of assault in a dispute over the ownership of a vuvuzela, during which the victim lost an eye.
The trio attacked the unnamed victim in the western city of Bulawayo when when he claimed the cheap plastic horn was his, the state-controlled daily Herald newspaper reported Thursday
Bulawayo magistrates court heard that the three wrestled with the man for the instrument, gave him a kick in the chest that sent him sprawling on the ground, where they continued to kick him.
The victim was taken to hospital with a badly swollen eye which had to be removed, the newspaper said.
The monotonous blare of the instrument drowning out virtually all other sound, including warnings from referees to players on the field, has roused demands for its banning.