Thembinkosi Lorch in action for Bafana Bafana. Fans have been calling for the ex-Orlando Pirates forward to be included in the Bafana Bafana squad.
Image: Ryan Wilkisky/BackpagePix.
Thembinkosi Lorch is a convicted abuser and calls for his inclusion in Bafana Bafana’s squad should be shut down immediately.
Lorch recently completed a move to Libyan outfit Al-Ittihad, and has done well with a goal and an assist in the three games he’s played for his new club, who currently sit at the top of Group 2 in the Libyan Premier League.
Like they did before the Africa Cup of Nations, a number of fans and pundits have been calling for the former Orlando Pirates man to be included in Hugo Broos’ Bafana Bafana squad.
But his selection would be a slap in the face for South Africa’s attempts to combat Gender-Based Violence, which is at crisis levels. Women for Change’s G20 Women’s Shutdown on Friday aims to highlight this very reality – that in South Africa, a woman is killed every 2.5 hours.
Between April 2020 and March 2024, the South African Police Service (SAPS) recorded 198,176 cases of women abused by someone in a domestic/intimate relationship. And according to a 2024 HSRC study, one in three women in South Africa have experienced physical intimate partner violence in their lifetime.
These numbers represent a crisis that demands consistency from every public institution. This is why Lorch’s own criminal record cannot be dismissed as a private matter.
In June of 2023, Lorch was found guilty of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, and was sentenced to three years' imprisonment. The sentence was suspended for five years, and he was also ordered to pay R100,000 to People Opposing Women Abuse.
By definition, Lorch is an abuser, and for a team that is carrying the nation’s hopes on the continental and global stage, his selection will be a betrayal to the women who have lost their lives, or have been abused by their partners. It will also undermine the country’s efforts in fighting the scourge.
And that is precisely why, for Bafana Bafana, form alone is not enough. Character and conduct must matter just as much as a player’s ability.
Ultimately, the national team cannot afford to ignore the message its choices send. In a country where women live under the constant threat of violence, every public institution – especially one as visible as Bafana Bafana – has a responsibility to uphold the values of safety, dignity, and accountability. Choosing not to reward a convicted abuser is standing with millions of South African women who deserve better from the heroes wearing their flag.
* This opinion piece was first published on November 15, 2025.
IOL Sport
* The views expressed are not necessarily the views of IOL or Independent Media.
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