SAGES Africa (Services for Africa Gaming & Esports) recently announced a new tournament aimed at African women esports players, the Mzansi Esports Champions 2024.
The tournament will be held at the rAge Expo, a South African gaming and technology convention, from November 30th-December 1st 2024 in Johannesburg.
The Mzansi Esports Champions is a part of the Tekken Africa Queens Challenge, an initiative supported by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and the French Institute of South Africa (IFAS). According to a release, the intention of the event is to promote women within esports and foster ‘inclusivity and empowerment in the gaming industry’.
Eight competitors will represent their countries and battle it out for the lions-share of a $2,500 (~£1,990) prize pool, with the winner earning $1,000 (~£795).
The countries and each representative are as follows; Eswatini (Setsabile ‘Sugar’ Shabangu), Kenya (Sylvia ‘TheQueenArrow’ Wahome), Lesotho (Liteboho ‘EL’ Thebe), Madagascar (Safidy ‘Sentaku’ Andrianisoa), Malawi (Matimbe Gweyneth ‘Gwyn Stacy’ Edina), Namibia (Asante-Sana ‘ATMBYTES’ Maruwasa), South Africa (Zahraa ‘Iron-Fist’ Khan) and Zambia (Bwalia ‘LiaRose’ Nkumbula).
Alongside the tournament portion of the event, there will be meetings taking place on November 29th, connecting African esports professionals with the aim of fostering collaboration and creating opportunities for women in the gaming industry. These meetings are a collaboration between the French Institute of South Africa, SAGES and rAge expo.
Désiré Koussawo, President of SAGES Africa, spoke on the announcement: “We are determined to create an environment where African esports talent can thrive and compete at the global level. Through strategic partnerships like the one established with the Institut français, we are ensuring that Africa becomes an essential player in the global esports ecosystem.”
This is not the first time that SAGES Africa have held an event in the region. The organisation, with support from the Institut français’ Création Africa, hosted the Kongo Esports Champions 2024 at the Manga & Geek Days Festival this month.
