JOHANNESBURG - SAFA have not been able offer further clarity on the confusion around the availability of midfielder Kamohelo Mokotjo, who has apparently taken up Dutch citizenship, renounced his own nationality and now looks set to be lost to the Bafana Bafana set-up indefinitely.
“At the moment we have written to his club and the player himself to try and understand how all of this affects his future with the national team,” said spokesperson Dominic Chimhavi.
Mokotjo was named in Bafana caretaker coach Owen da Gama’s 25-man squad to face Guinea-Bissau and Angola in back-to-back friendly matches in Durban on March 25 and three days later at a venue yet to be confirmed. It emerged at a press conference for the squad announcement last Thursday that Mokotjo, who withdrew his services from the national team under axed coach Shakes Mashaba last year due to a fallout, recently opted to become naturalised with the help of his Dutch club FC Twente.
That process required Mokotjo to relinquish his status as a South African. Da Gama admitted at the time he was unaware of the complex matter shortly after including the player in his squad, but vowed the association would work tirelessly in an attempt to get the 26-year-old donning the Bafana jersey again. Safa appeared to still be scrambling for answers on Monday, with Da Gama referring The Star to spokesman Chimhavi and team manager Barney Kujane.
“I know that some e-mails have been sent to try and get to the bottom of this, but it is an administrative issue, so I shouldn’t be the one answering questions about this. Please speak to Dominic or Barney,” the interim coach asked politely. Kujane acknowledged he was working on getting clarity on whether Mokotjo would be able to play for South Africa again.
Kujane needed Chimhavi’s permission to speak to The Star and elaborate further. Bafana players called-up for the two international friendlies are expected to assemble this Sunday in Johannesburg before travelling to Durban. Mokotjo’s FC Twente travel to Roda JC Kerk for their Eredivisie fixture on Friday, meaning the player would be able to fly out to South Africa on the same weekend if Safa are able to confirm that he can still turn out for his native country. But this is looking less likely, with a source claiming that Mokotjo agreed to give up his citizenship because he wants to move to an even bigger club in Europe.
“He does not have enough appearances as a Bafana player and you will remember that last year he nearly moved to England, but because of the strict work permit issues the move did not materialise,” the source explained. “He wants to play for any club within the EU and with his Dutch papers he would certainly be able to do that without needing to have played 75 percent of Bafana games since he was first called up.”
Mokotjo last featured for Bafana in November 2015, coming off the bench for a cameo appearance in a 2018 World Cup qualifier at home against Angola.