Kasi eSports had the privilege of being invited to Comic Con Cape Town (CCCT), and with 12 tickets for the players they sent a good mix of teams, including gamers from Strand who performed well at a previous local gaming tournament (“eSports take off at Strand township schools”, DistrictMail & Helderberg Gazette, 26 April).
“We didn’t have many expectations for our players, because this was our first time in the big stages of eSports, but the level of competitiveness and hunger to win was great to witness,” said Sinethemba Nojoko, administrator for Kasi eSports.
Three Kasi players, Athi Bhira, Dale Nott and Luke Gabriel, qualified through the Redbull Hattricks event, and represented Team Cape Town against Maties, CPUT, Team Bloemfontein, Gqeberha, Pretoria, Durban and Johannesburg.
The Kasi trio cruised the qualifiers to win the championship final against team Durban.
“In all, there was a series of championship games comprising of 64 players in each round which ran throughout the weekend,” said Njoko. “We won three of those championship finals, and also had players snatch runners-up positions. Most of the Kasi players, however, struggled to reach the semi-finals, but nonetheless made their mark by causing several upsets.We dominated the VX Gaming Fifa Championship. With our players making it into the top three.
“Many of our players did not own a console, and about five or six players share a single Playstation 4. Therefore, witnessing players from the township rising to the occasion and competing on Playstation 5 consoles, as if it was not their first time, was thrilling to see.”
Thandolwethu Qolombeni, Kasi schools champion of Strand, said he had a “fantastic” experience at Comic Con, and particularly enjoyed mingling with the crowds and taking a shot at the countless games on display.
“I entered as many FIFA championship tournaments as I could,” he said. “It felt amazing to compete with players outside the township, because I was able to apply some of the things I learnt as well as my experience. But I was unable to win a championship and my best performance was a top eight appearance, yet it was a great atmosphere and it’s an unforgettable feeling to rub shoulders with the best players in the country. Hopefully, I’ll get to practise more and get wins against Pro Players in South Africa.”
