South Africa Embassy confirms Rulani Mokwena’s arrest in Algeria

The South African Embassy in Algeria has confirmed it is aware of the arrest of South African coach Rulani Mokwena over an alleged breach of Algeria’s foreign currency regulations.

According to reports, the 39-year-old was stopped by customs officials at Houari Boumediene Airport while attempting to leave Algeria with undeclared foreign currency.

In a statement to Sowetan on Monday, the embassy confirmed it had been notified of the incident and is offering assistance.

“The embassy in Algiers can confirm that it was notified of the arrest of Mr Rulani Mokwena [on Sunday], who is alleged to have violated Algeria’s foreign currency regulation(s),” the embassy told Sowetan on Monday.

“The mission is in touch with Mr Mokwena and is providing consular assistance to him.”

Mokwena recently parted ways with Algerian club MC Alger and is now expected to join Libyan side Al‑Ittihad SC, where he would reunite with his former player and fellow South African Thembinkosi Lorch, as earlier revealed by AfricaSoccer.com.

Confirming the coach’s exit, MC Alger said the decision followed a meeting between Mokwena and the club’s management, during which he expressed his desire to end his stint with the team after eight months in charge.

The club added that the termination clause in his contract would see him compensated with two months’ salary.

During his short spell with the Algerian giants, Mokwena led the club to the Algerian Super Cup and kept the team at the top of the domestic league standings for much of the season.

However, the campaign also included exits from the Algerian Cup and the CAF Champions League.

MC Alger thanked the South African tactician and his technical team for their efforts and wished them well in their future careers.