With Sekhukhune United's Elias Mokwana set to conclude his transfer to Esperance de Tunis this week, it has led to questions on whether this could spark a new trend where North Africans look down South to reinforce their teams.
Mokwana's impending move comes on the back of his meteoric rise across his two seasons in top-flight football.
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The 24-year-old contributed four goals and five assists in 35 appearances across all competitions in his last campaign for the side, powering Babina Noko to a fourth-place finish on the DStv Premiership table.
He has also blossomed into a key figure for Bafana Bafana and was part of the squad that returned with a gold medal at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations tournament staged in Morocco earlier this year.
This publication broke the story in mid-July that following lengthy negotiations, Sekhukhune and Esperance had finally found common ground and reached a verbal agreement for the transfer of the winger ahead of the new season.
KickOff further reported on Monday that Mokwana's move is set to be concluded on Wednesday week as he has flown to Tunisia to undergo a medical, after which he will put pen to paper on a reported three-year deal with the four-time CAF Champions League winners.
A memorable debut for Elias Mokwana as he scores to bring Bafana Bafana level ?
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In signing Mokwana, Esperance have beaten Soweto giants Kaizer Chiefs, who were understood to have gone as far as making an offer.
It is an incredible rise in stature for a player who was an unknown entity just a few years back but in the bigger picture, represents a growing trend of North African sides' appreciation of the talent on offer in the southernmost tip of the continent.
Currently, South Africa has Percy Tau and Fagrie Lakay as the most recognised footballers plying their trade in North Africa, as they turn out for Al Ahly and Pyramids respectively. In the past, there was Phakamani Mahlambi at Ahly, who joined on a reported R27 million transfer fee, but disappointingly never lived up to his true potential.
Like Lakay, Gift Links has also worn the Pyramids jersey, having joined from Platinum Stars in 2018, but he too did not see much game-time, featuring just 18 times that season before being shipped off to Cape Town City.
Subject to the finalization of his move, 24-year-old Mokwana will now have a massive opportunity to write his own history in a football-mad territory, whilst also hoping to keep his place in Bafana Bafana as the road to 2025 AFCON and 2026 World Cup continues.
How he then does could also open the doors for other Mzansi stars to test the waters in countries like Tunisia, Morocco and Egypt, which are located much closer than overseas clubs.