Foreign, local strikers evenly matched
Kabelo Boranabi | Wednesday March 4, 2015 10:37
However, once they leave the beMOBILE Premier League, local strikers seem to struggle particularly in South Africa whereas their foreign counterparts have performed marginally better.
Terrence Mandaza and Tendai Ndoro are doing relatively well in South Africa while Jerome ‘JJ’ Ramatlhakwana and Keaketswe ‘Mara’ Moloi returned from unsuccessful stints in DRC and South Africa respectively.
The highest number of goals scored in the Premier League was 42 by Mandaza, the former Township Rollers striker in the 2009/2010 season. He scored 31 in the league and the rest in cup games.
Zimbabwean striker, Master Masitara found the net 27 times in the 2008/2009 season and left before the season ended, but still finished as the top scorer.
ECCO City Greens striker, Malepa Bolelang scored 24 goals during the 2005/2006 season while Joel Mogorosi and Keaketswe Moloi scored the same number in the 2011/2012 campaign as the latter two powered Mochudi Centre Chiefs to the league title. No local striker has scored more than 24 goals in recent years. This season’s leading scorer is Lemponye Tshireletso with 13 goals, 10 games before the end of the season.
Zimbabwean, Morris Ruzivo is breathing on his neck with 10 goals with two other foreign players, Jerome Louis and Manqoba Ngwenya on nine and eight respectively.
Local boy, Orapa United’s Patrick Lenyeletse finds himself on 10 goals and with a strong chance to finish at the top. The Botswana Premier League’s decision to limit the number of foreign players to three per team seems to be paying dividends.