When centre forward Tumisang Orebonye signed for Moroccan side Olympique Club de Khouribga (OCK) in 2021, then campaigning in the second-tier league, little did he know that he would blaze the trail for his countrymen’s exodus up North Africa.
In four years, the number of Motswana players trekking to North Africa has increased to five. These players abroad include Orebonye's compatriot teammate at Libyan club Al Ittihad, former Kaizer Chiefs defender Thatayone Ditlhokwe, while Gape Mohutsiwa (ASO Chief, Algeria), Kabelo Seakanyeng (Maghreb Fez FC, Morocco) and Christopher Lemme (OCK) have also made moves to the region.
Ditlhokwe and Christopher Lemme (OCK) made the trip to Northern Africa this January transfer window after parting ways with Kaizer Chiefs and Township Rollers respectively.
Until recently, most Motswana players looked up to South Africa as the land of dreams. But currently there has been hardly any meaningful transfer of players from the nation to the Betway Premiership.
It appears there is a growing realization that clubs in North Africa can offer enough financial incentives and can also win continental silverware as is the case with their South African counterparts.
The change in thinking is partly due to the success of a few Zebra players who play in North Africa, most notably Orebonye. Therefore, Motswana sports editor Mqondisi Dube is unsurprised by the trend of increased traffic to the north, insisting this change started when Orebonye signed for OCK.
“We are seeing a trend. One or two players went there and settled. Despite cultural differences, Motswana players have done well hence it is not a surprise that they are keen to go there. The money is probably better than some South African teams can pay."
"We expect that trend to continue. South Africa traditionally has been a destination of choice not just for Botswana but across Southern Africa…players are attracted by the lure of the South African Premiership because it pays better and the culture is not too different but then there is a shift in that trend in the case of Botswana,” the Mmegi sports editor added.
That Orebonye sought greener pastures in the unconventional domain of North African football could partly be attributed to former Zebras’ Algerian coach Adel Amrouche and other foreigners who have coached in the Botswana Premier League, according to Dube and Botswana’s veteran coach Mogotsi Mpote.
“We played many games with North African teams and also Adel connected us there. Besides, our football is in the right direction—Kabelo Gape, Orebonye, and even Cooper are playing in Morocco and Algeria,” Orapa United mentor Mpote added.
Apart from Amrouche, the Botswana Premier League attracts top coaches from North Africa and Europe and when they return home, they sign stars from the Motswana top flight according to Tumo Mpatane of Botswana Broadcasting Services.
“Orebonye and Kabelo Seakanyeng have broken a new market for our local boys but also coaches who have coached in Botswana are getting North African jobs. This allows them to tap into the talent they have worked with in the past,” he said.
True to Mpatane’s observation, expatriates are in charge of most Botswana Premier League teams. Algeria-born Abdelaziz Karkache (Township Rollers), Serb Nikola Kavazovic (Sua Flamingoes), BDF XI (Zambian Stanley Mwaanga), TAFIC (Zambian Elias Chinyemba), Bulgarian Dimitar Pantev (Gaborone United) while Dutchman Pieter de Jong just left Jwaneng Galaxy.
The athleticism of players from Botswana and their willingness to adjust to a new environment makes it possible for them to survive up north, Mpatane added.
“Botswana players are also adjustable to North Africa’s physical game requiring a strong mindset. Our players are mostly coachable as some are still young and can be coached into the form the north plays,” he observed.
After becoming the first Motswana player to win the CAF Confederation Cup with USM Alger, Orebonye spoke more on the subject of having a strong mindset to Botswana’s Daily News in 2023.
He said: “I am here because of hard work. Nothing comes cheap in life, work hard and enjoy the fruits of your toil later.”
The biggest beneficiary of these exports is Zebras coach Morena Ramoreboli who summoned Ditlhokwe, Orebonye, Mohutsiwa and Seakanyeng in the latest Botswana squad for the World Cup qualifiers.
Mpatane cannot agree more on the impact of the exports from North Africa on the senior national team, saying: “this would help the Zebras. It won’t be easy to play Botswana at AFCON.”
A lot would be expected from these foreign-based players when the Zebras face Algeria on March 17 and then Somalia seven days later in Group C of 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying which also includes Mozambique, Guinea, and Uganda.
Of course, the North Africa-based brigade should be in familiar territory when the Zebras join the 2025 AFCON finals party in December in Morocco.
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