Coach Rulani Mokwena of MC Alger advised former star player Thembinkosi Lorch to look to Themba Zwane for motivation to break into the Bafana Bafana team.
Lorch has constantly been overlooked by Bafana coach Hugo Broos in his recent squad announcements, despite his impressive form in the Botola Pro 1 with Wydad Casablanca.
This season, the 32-year-old has scored five goals in nine games across all competitions.
However, Broos has once again left out Lorch for the forthcoming international friendly match against Zambia, stressing that the former Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns talisman will not be included in his final 2025 Africa Cup of Nations squad.
Lorch advised not to give up
Mokwena, who has already coached Lorch at three clubs, told members of the South African Football Journalists Association via Zoom on Wednesday that the Wydad star should not give up and should take motivation from former teammate Zwane.
“In football, anything can change at any time, and Lorch just needs to look at Themba Zwane for inspiration because Zwane was in the same position he is now.
“I remember saying to ‘Mshishi’ [Zwane] that ‘you’ve got to be so good that it is difficult to ignore you’. That is precisely what ‘Mshishi’ did.
“Themba Zwane was so talented that the coach at that time decided against selecting him for reasons he shared with us, which we had to respect.
“Hugo Broos acknowledged that during the early part of his reign as Bafana head coach, he felt he had made a mistake regarding Themba Zwane,” Mokwena said.
Chance of being selected
Mokwena added: “For a coach to say this publicly, we have to give a lot of credit to Hugo Broos for it.
“This suggests that if Hugo Broos changes his opinion about Themba Zwane, then I believe that Lorch has a strong chance of being selected for Bafana, provided he maintains his current performance.
“I hear excellent things from Wydad’s president, whom I speak to regularly about his conduct, professionalism, performance, and character in the changing room.
“If he continues like this, there are many possibilities for him to be reinducted into the Bafana Bafana fold.”
