What does MSSA have to offer South African gamers?

MSSA offers a huge amount to South African competitive gamers.

It has taken years to get the government and older sports bodies to take gaming seriously. To give you an example, in 1987 when MSSA requested to become affiliated to the Confederation of South African Sport (COSAS), the request was initially denied. By sheer perseverance and determination (allied with strong arguments), COSAS finally acceded to the MSSA’s request and granted the MSSA membership into the greater body of sport. This was indeed a huge triumph as the Springbok Colours Board also accepted MSSA as a result thereof and granted Springbok Colours to the MSSA’s team. Through careful politicking, the MSSA also joined the anti-establishment National Olympic Committee of South Africa (NOCSA) and formed a firm friendship with the late Bill Jardim.

As a result of being an affiliate of both COSAS and NOCSA, the MSSA was able to contribute to the equalisation of sport in South Africa and has been an affiliate of every macro sport body in South Africa since then, such as:

• The National Sports Council (1994 to 1999)

• The South African Sports Commission (1999 to 2002), and

• The South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) 

With such recognition comes total accreditation of eSports as a sport. 

Protea Colours have been awarded since 1994 to deserving teams which represent South Africa in international events.

Some gamers may scoff at the fact that Protea Colours are now awarded, but they are those who have never experienced the joy and full benefits of being part of that select few that have officially represented South Africa overseas.

Apart from Protea Colours, there are National, Provincial, and Provincial School colours that can be earned. Allied to the colours awarded by the MSSA, there are the sporting colours that are awarded by both Universities and Schools alike. There too are the bursaries for which well deserving gamers can apply. The amounts differ from university to university, but such bursaries make a substantial difference to the costs of studying at university.

Other benefits include National Lottery Funding, the improved ability of obtaining sponsorship, local government support, and most importantly… having a voice to direct the future of eSports.

With MSSA being an Universitas all clubs that are fully-paid-up members have rights in voting on issues and have the right to propose issues. This means that the gamer actually takes control over the games which they play and love. MSSA is NOT a monolithic structure and has to comply with the wishes of the majority of its members.

Thus whatever MSSA does, it is because the majority of the membership wish it to be done so.

In this way MSSA is unique. MSSA is not driven by market forces and by pursuing profits at every turn, but is instead driven by what its membership wants.

Growth of Mind Sports

Who would have thought back in the 1980's the various mind sports would have achieved the levels of accreditation that they have today.

When MSSA was started (as  the South African Wargames Union) it approached the South African national federation for Chess to become a board of control of such  body.

The national federation for chess rejected MSSA's application.

It was the best thing that ever happened to MSSA!

MSSA's committee realised that they would have to get the recognition that they  needed by themselves.

By applying continuously to the Confederation of South African Sport (COSAS), MSSA was accepted as a member in 1991.

Thus from 1991 MSSA was allowed to award Springbok Colours to its teams.

The TAFISA World Sport for All Games in Jakarta, Indonesia, from 6 to 12 October 2016 will see both eSports and Draughts 64 being played at such festival. 

Certainly the MWEB Protea eSports and MWEB Protea Draughts Teams are looking forward to going.


MSSA was allowed to award such Springbok Colours even before Chess.

In 1997, MSSA pushed hard to get Morabaraba  into the TAFISA Sport for All Festival.

As a result Morabaraba was played in Bangkok, Thailand. The Chef d' Mission was none other than SAFA supremo Mr. Danny Jordaan.

The importance of having  both sports played there cannot be over emphasised!

Without the MSSA

There are many films that deal with the ubiquitous 'what if ' situations of what would have been if a person had never been born.

But, what about the 'what if' the MSSA had never been constituted.

Well let us see....

Back in the 1980's without the MSSA (then known as the South African Wargames Union), gaming (then mainly board and figure gaming) would have been relegated to yet another pastime as the Springbok Colours Board and COSAS (the Confederation of South African Sport) would have only applied their minds to the physical sports.

Yes, not even chess was considered to be a sport in those dark days. Those in power had a firm idea of what constituted a sport and what did not...

Thus without the existence of the MSSA banging on doors, there is no doubt that nothing would have changed in the 1980's. 

That would have indeed impacted on the 1990's.

It was in 1991 that the MSSA was adopted into membership of NOCSA and COSAS. As a result of this membership, the roadwas paved for accreditation of gaming as a full sport and membership of the South African Sports Commission (SASC) and even as a founder member of SASCOC.

Without the MSSA, Springbok Colours would not have been awarded to gamers in 1991.

It is almost hard to believe that the MSSA had Springbok Colours awarded to its teams before even chess received the right.Well do I remember the looks on the faces of the 1991 Chess Team when they saw that the MSSA's team had such Springbok Colours.

Thus there was an almost seamless transition between the award of Springbok Colours to that of Protea Colours in 1994. However, without the MSSA, that would not have been done.

So, without the MSSA, there is no doubt in my mind that all of gaming would have remained in the doldrums.

With the advent of computer gaming, there is no doubt either in my mind that without the MSSA, there would certainly not be any form of official gaming scene.

Without the MSSA there probably would not even be the DGL Gaming League.

Very few gamers today are even aware that the MSSA was the first to establish a gaming league in 2005. The league was of course administered by the MSSA's eSports Board of Control under the chairmanship of Johann von Backström. The league was discontinued in 2009 due to issues surrounding unsavoury behaviour by some of the participating teams.
Johann von Backström convinced TELKOM to continue with the league in 2009.

However, without the existence of the MSSA, the league would never have started, and certyainly, there is no doubt in my mind that TELKOM would never have continued with the league.

Not only that, without the MSSA, there would have been no offocial body that would have negotiated deferred exams for at least 12 gamers to enable such gamers to participate in overseas events.

Not only that, but over 100 gamers would have been denied the opportunity of receiving national colours and over a further 50 gamers would have been denied Protea Colours.

In short gaming would have been a mess where there would have been no real benefit to anyone.

Even those who are antagonistic towards the MSSA cannot deny that much of what they have done is built on the foundations of the MSSA.

Whether their feelings towards the MSSA has inspired them to greater heights, or whether it has created articles which has attracted readers to their blogs, the MSSA has had the greatest impact on South African gaming than any other organization.

Thus without doubt, without the MSSA, gaming in South Africa would have stagnated. It is only through the MSSA (currently sponsored y MWEB) that national teams have competed on a regular basis in international competition.

We all have much for which we must thank the MSSA!