Botswana international Tumisang Orebonye has detailed the transformative impact of Thembinkosi Lorch, Stephane Aziz Ki, and coach Rulani Mokwena since their arrival in Libya.
Lorch and Aziz Ki joined the Libyan giants, Al-Ittihad SC, in January 2026 from Morocco’s Wydad AC. Former Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates star Lorch signed a two-and-a-half-year deal.
The duo joined the Tripoli-based club to boost their league title ambitions. They also lured ex-Sundowns mentor Mokwena, who was making waves in Algeria at MC Alger.
The trio’s impact has already been felt since joining the Libyan giants. Lorch has contributed three goals and two assists in six matches. He quickly made an impact, scoring on his debut for the Libyan club and finding the net against Al Shomooa, which is home to Orebonye and former Kaizer Chiefs centre-back Thatayaone Ditlhokwe on loan.
As for Mokwena, he has a flawless record with three wins and one draw in four matches. Meanwhile, Orebonye and Lorch were teammates at Moroccan club Wydad AC in 2025.
OREBONYE HEAPS PRAISE ON LORCH, AZIZ KI AND MOKWENA FOR BEING IMPACTFUL IN LIBYA
In an interview with FARPost, Orebonye said the arrival of the trio, Lorch, Aziz Ki, and coach Mokwena, has raised the level of expectations and excitement in the Libyan Premier League.
“Now the fans have started looking at the Libyan league, the media, and everything. I think that’s the reason why they brought the stars, like, most of the international players here in the Libyan league,” Orebonye told FARPost.
“The reception is very good, because first of all, they brought us for a reason, you know, in Libya, not only me, you know, there is Ditlhokwe [Thatayaone].
“All those international players, Lorch and Aziz Ki brought a lot of attention, and added value to the league, because somehow when they have only local players, it doesn’t attract a lot of attention, so that brought attention, the eyes and everything.
“Coach Rulani Mokwena was at MC Alger, and we all saw the massive media attention he commanded; every South African was following his journey. We were tracking every single game. Now that we are here in Libya, it means that the entire spotlight has shifted from Algeria and is now focused squarely on us.”
THEY BROUGHT ‘LIGHT’ TO LIBYAN FOOTBALL SAYS OREBONYE
Orebonye also added that the arrival of a significant number of international players has brought ‘light’ to the Libyan league.
“And now, the league here is developing, like, it’s been a professional league because Libya has been having four teams in the CAF Champions League and Confederations Cup, so you can see how competitive the league is, because every now and then you see four teams participating in the CAF competitions,” he continued.
“So the coming in of us, Lorch, coach Rulani and other internationals has brought light, and then the competition is quite good. The media attention has increased, because, you know, football is about the media and the fans and the players”.
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