Orlando Pirates legend Teboho Moloi says finance is the main reason the local talent is snubbing the Premier Soccer League for North African countries.
Kaizer Chiefs target Elias Mokwana is the latest local talent to attract interest from North African leagues, as he is said to be on his way to Tunisian giants Esperance.
Moloi, who played in Argentina and Turkey, says he almost missed out on an opportunity to move overseas after snubbing a move to Cameroon in 1993.
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The former Buccaneers star believes the moves to North Africa by local players and coaches are motivated by money more than anything else.
"In 1993, when we were being re-admitted to CAF and FIFA, Orlando Pirates toured Cameroon, and Roger Milla was there to watch us play; he wanted to set up something for me in Cameroon," Moloi tells KickOff.
"We went to play Yaounde and Douala, but because of our geographical ignorance, we were not aware that Cameroon is next door to France.
"I refused to be signed by Cameroonian teams, only to realize later that it was an opportunity missed from my side because I could have been closer to French scouts if Pirates had accepted Roger Milla's deal.
"Even now, it is still a bit tricky and challenging if local talent joins teams from North Africa and so on; it might be a stepping stone for them, but unlike during our time, today our league is being watched globally.
"So maybe the local players are going to these African countries because of financial gains because there they would be paid in dollars and not rands.
"As a player, you need to calculate what are your chances of earning an overseas move if you go to the North, and what are your chances if you remain in the PSL. To me, nowadays, it's a 50/50 chance compared to our time.
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"I was not scouted playing for Bafana Bafana; I'm not Class of 96; it's Orlando Pirates that sent me overseas. They were my stepping stone.
"So to me, nowadays, it depends on what is on the table for the player; even as coaches, we are experiencing the same. I went to Lesotho, and others went to Botswana; it depends on the individual.
"Nowadays it's all about what's in it for you as a player."