Kaizer Chiefs are close to signing Elias Mokwana after he was released by Tunisian side Esperance. Is it a good idea?

Mokwana dazzled in 2024, but he’s since faded

Elias Mokwana moved to Saudi Pro League side Al Hazem on loan from Esperance in August 2025 after his initial move to Tunisia in August 2024. The ex-Sekhukhune man played 24 times in the 2025-26 Saudi Pro League season, scoring once and supplying three assists. That’s a poor direct output of goal contributions. In those 24 appearances, Mokwana picked up six yellow cards, an average of a booking every four games. Perhaps that’s an even more worrying stat. If the Glamour Boys want to coax the best out of Mokwana, this is an issue they’ll need to sort out. In 2023-24, Mokwana’s performances caught the eye, and he bagged four goals and four assists in 25 league outings for Babina Noko. In 65 outings for them, he picked up 10 bookings. The 27-year-old’s last minutes for Bafana were in December 2025 against Egypt. He was on the bench for South Africa’s AFCON Round of 16 defeat to Cameroon in January 2026, but hasn’t been selected for the national team since.

Chiefs boss Da Cruz already under the pump

Meanwhile, Kaizer Chiefs are already 12 points adrift of leaders Sundowns, and their season is only nine matches old. What conclusions can we draw here? Are the players at Da Cruz’s disposal simply not good enough, or is he not getting the most out of a talented young group?