Showing posts with label SASCOC. Show all posts
Showing posts with label SASCOC. Show all posts

Friday, 4 November 2022

Motsotsi Thipe plans a comeback.

Motsotsi Thipe has proved himself to be an able administrator with great vision time-after-time.

Motsotsi Thipe (Old Edwardian Mind Sports Club) has served previously on Mind Sports South Africa's (MSSA) Management Board for the years 2011, 2012, 2013 as MSSA's 3rd Vice-President.

Motsotsi had a distinguished career on MSSA's Board, and with his legal background, was able to deal competently and effectively with many issues that arose during that time. Of particular interest to Motsotsi at that time was the role of agents and the contractual agreements presented to athletes.

Motsotsi was also called upon by SASCOC to serve on the committee that was re-evaluating the National Colours Regulations.

Motsotsi is standing for the important Executive Officer position, as well as the position of Legal Advisor. MSSA has five such positions of Executive Officer on its Board. Such positions of Executive Officer take responsibility and oversight for:

  • Development,
  • Umpiring,
  • Events,
  • Liaison, and
  • National Team.

However, it should be noted that although a Registered Player may stand for more than one position, such Registered Player cannot hold more than one position. Thus, if Motsotsi wins the election for Executive Officer and he accepts such position, then his nomination for Legal Advisor will fall away.

One thing is for sure, should Motsotsi be elected to the Board, MSSA will be the winner.

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Wednesday, 2 February 2022

Colin Webster re-elected as President of Mind Sports South Africa.

Germiston's own Colin Webster (right) seen here receiving  an award from His Highness Sheikh Ahmed Bin Mohammed al Maktoun, President of UAE Olympic Committee, has been re-elected as President of Mind sports South Africa (MSSA).

Mind Sports South Africa (MSSA) was founded in 1985, and one of the persons instrumental in the founding of MSSA was Colin Webster.

Colin Webster served as President of MSSA from its founding through to 2013 when Simphiwe Maphumulo was elected in as MSSA President.

From 2013 until 2022, Colin Webster served as MSSA's General Secretary where he was able to give the duly elected Presidents at such time, Simphiwe Maphumulo, Morizane Boyes, and Amanda Pakade much needed support.

However, Colin's commitment to Mind Sports was not restricted only to South Africa. Colin also served on International Esports Federation (IESF) as a Board Member (2013 - 2018) and as President of IESF (2018 - 2020), on International Wargames Federation as President, and served on Confederation of African Esports (CAES) from (2008 - 2013) and then as General Secretary of CAES from 2014 until the present.

Colin Webster always keen to volunteer, too served on South African Sport Confederation and Olympic Commission's (SASCOC) Dispute and Arbitration Commission for a number of years.

Not satisfied with participating on the Board, Colin has also immersed himself in almost every aspect of MSSA's operations. Thus in 1998, Colin was seen umpiring in South Africa's first official esports Championships - the Gauteng Provincial Championships held at Old Edwardian Society.

Colin is thus well known as a driving force in esports, and although has been involved in esports administration is known for  his ability to promote youth and females in all structures. Being open to new ideas and change, Colin has encouraged MSSA to readily adapt to the changing conditions and circumstances. 

With Colin re-elected as MSSA's President, MSSA is bound to move forward as never before.

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Thursday, 24 December 2020

Wishing all a Merry Festive Season.



For many people, COVID-19 dashed their dreams as lockdown, financial hardship, and genneral uncertainty robbed them of their hopes and dreams.

Even though Mind Sports South Africa (MSSA) also bore the brunt of the pandemic, MSSA's Board rallied round to continue to deliver to its members and Registered Players.

Thus in 2020, MSSA still held all its provincial esports championships, albeit as online events, and will still able to select national squads.

Even though there is no guarantee that the pandemic will ease in 2021, MSSA has applied its collective minds in order to have a strategy so that it can even better deliver to its member clubs and Registered Players.

Thus, MSSA wishes all associated to MSSA a truly Blessed Festive Season where all can rest securely and prepare themselves for an action packed 2021.

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Saturday, 28 November 2020

MSSA remains a dynamic institution.

 

Johan van Breda (MSSA Vice-President) at Olympic House on Friday, 27 November 2020.

Many South African sporting federations have the structure of athletes affiliating to clubs, clubs affiliating to regional federations, regional federations affiliating to provincial federations, and provincial  federations affiliating to national federations.

In Mind Sports South Africa's opinion, such system alienates the athlete from those who ultimately administrate the sport. Also for anyone who enters a sport, it may take a lifetime of compromise and double-dealing to reach the highest echelons of power. Generally speaking, athletes have to make a name at club, regional, and provincial level before he or she can make it into a national board.

The system as described above is further compli9cated in that many of such sports allow provincial federations equal voting powers which, itself, seems to means that the weaker provinces 'gang' up on the stronger, bigger, wealthier, and more successful provinces. Often the weaker and poorer provinces also survive on hand-outs made by the national board. Such support by the national board thus often seems to translate into overt support for the existing national board by provincial federations that receive such support.

Thus Mind Sports South Africa (MSSA) has a very different structure. Clubs are directly affiliated to the national federation which allows greater upward mobility as well as greater say for the clubs in the way in which MSSA is run.

Any member member club may nominate a registered player for a position on the Management Board. However, such nominee must fulfill at least one of the following criteria, being:
  • Have served a full term on the Management Board (3 years), or
  • Have served a full term as Provincial Director (2 years), or
  • Have served two full terms as Regional Director (2 years), or
  • Have served two full terms on a Board of Control (2 years), or
  • Have earned at least ten (10) Protea caps, or
  • Have served three years on the club committee of which they are currently a member.
Through MSSA's dynamic system, a Registered Player can move through the ranks in a matter of two years in order to be elected to a position on the national board.

Thus MSSA will always have new and fresh ideas being expressed on the board. 

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Sunday, 22 September 2019

Beware of false summits...

Without accredited esports bodies at summits, like IESF and MSSA, such summits do not deal with the real issues surrounding esports.
With the development of esports since 1998, only recently is there a plethora of summits.
Summits are  now being staged on a seemingly endless basis, and, if a person is so inclined, one could attend at least one a month. But to what end of these summits being held? What is the expected outcome?  To whom are these summits being aimed?

It is a well known fact that Mind Sports South Africa (MSSA) had managed to have esports recognised as an official sport in South Africa in 2005 when, it was allowed for the first time to have Protea Colours awarded to its national esports team that participated in the World Cyber Games (WCG). pening in the field of esports.

With esports already being considered to be a sport (in terms of the Sport and Recreation Act of 1998) it seems strange that any summit held in South Africa not have the official sporting authorities present to weigh in on what is really happening in the field of esports.

Thus it is laughable that any summit that is pretending to deal with the growth of esports in the South  African context leave out major players like International Esports Federation (IESF), the Department of Sport and Recreation (SRSA), SASCOC, MSSA, or major clubs affiliated to MSSA. It would be like holding a summit apropos the future of football without having FIFA, SAFA, and a few PSL clubs present. Such a summit on football would be considered to be of no value as it would be deemed to be self-serving at best, and irrelevant at worst.

What we do see is summits being organised by exhibition companies on their own behalf, using journalists and operators of private events as their main speakers. In my personal opinion, such a summit is merely an advertising event for those present and has verly little to do with the long term development of esports.

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Wednesday, 15 August 2018

"Esports is a sport" - Gideon Sam

Colin Webster (General Secretary - MSSA), Gideon Sam (President - SASCOC), and Emmanuel Oyelakin.
At the recent Esport Africa & Sports Innovation Summit held at Emperor's Palace on 13-14 August 2018, Johannesburg, South Africa, Gideon Sam (SASCOC President) gave the opening address.

Although the opening address touched on the many issues of sport in general (development, transformation and structure) there were many pearls of wisdom delivered to those who were representing esports.

Gideon Sam made it quite clear to the assembled audience that SASCOC is in close discussion with Mind Sports South Africa (MSSA) and that SASCOC still recognises MSSA as the national federation for esports.

Mr Gideon Sam too stressed at the well run Esport Africa & Sports Innovation Summit that esports organisations that did not fit into the sporting structures would do so at their peril and would thus not be able to make use of existing funding models.

Certainly Gideon Sam's input was enlightening and rewarding to all assembled there. 
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Sunday, 22 July 2018

eSports Africa Summit 2018 - 13-14 August 2018


Get In The Game!
Emperors Palace
When you picture competitive sports, what do you see? Men and women running around a pristine green field, chasing glory for their team? Or a full stadium of screaming fans, showing their support for the best shooters, strategists, and gamers on the planet?
With fans being spoilt for choice, eSports is rapidly becoming the favoured millennial sport worldwide. With tickets to watch live games selling out seats in stadiums faster than other competitive sports, online streams of tournaments gaining hundreds of millions of viewers (some say that viewership of eSports will match viewership of the FIFA World Cup in the near future) and game developers awarding massive cash prizes to the winners, it is easy to see why.
While these developments might come as no surprise to those in Asia, America and Europe, where does this leave Africa?
Eventus International has identified considerable interest in this emerging international phenomenon, and therefore will be hosting the eSports Africa Summit at Emperors Palace from 13-14 August 2018.
As lightning fast fibre rolls out across the continent, standards of living improve and infrastructure becomes more advanced on the continent, Africa will soon take its place amongst the great gaming nations of the world. Eventus International is there to connect local and international industry professionals – the world’s youngest continent demographically also has biggest potential group of supporters and players in the world.
Register for the eSports Africa Summit now in order to gain practical skills for African gaming sector, and grow your network of media, broadcasters, sportsmen and women, data analysts and high-performance coaches now and more!

To register, contact: 
Tanya Detering
Sales & Marketing Coordinator
Eventus International
Phone: +27733646411


Who Should Attend
  • eSports Federations
  • Clubs and Governing Bodies
  • Software and Game developers
  • Team managers
  • Tournament organisers
  • Game testers
  • Professional players
  • Telecommunication companies
  • Publishers
  • Universities
  • Broadcasters
  • Government
  • Corporate Sponsors



Secure your seat now to hear from these experts:
  1. Johan Van Breda, Co Founder, ZAG Academy
  2. Kyle Wolmarans, Gaming & eSports Specialist, Wunderman SA
  3. Eben Kwecy Hayford. President, Ghana eSports Association (GeSA)
  4. Tonya Khoury, CEO, Acumen Media Management
  5. Chris Heaton, Managing Director, Brand inc, Sportal & eSports Industry
  6. Colin Webster, General Secretary, Mind Sports South Africa
  7. Koen Schobbers, eSports expert, FOX-Sports presenter, pro gamer, speaker & medical student
  8. Goodnews Cadogan, Chief Coaching Officer, The Village Leadership Consulting
  9. Gideon Sam, President, SASCOC
  10. Flip de Bruyn, Vice President, Namibian eSports federation
  11. Evert de Bruyn, Attorney, de Bruyn Attorneys
  12. Marcia Mahlalela, Planning and strategy Manager, SABC Sport
  13. Angelique Ramos, Team Captain. Valkyrie
  14. Alasdair Donaldson, Team Member, VexxedPhoenix
  15. Brad Kirby, Head of Product, Kwese Gamer
  16. Mlondi Mashinini, Co-Founder, GAMES (Global Assembly Marketing eSports)
  17. David Sidenberg, CEO, BMI Sport
  18. Rudi Rebstein, Peak Performance Coach, Rebstein Research Ltd
  19. Daniel Cossi, President, World Esports Consortium
DAY ONE
13 August 2018
09:00   
Registration & Morning Coffee
09:30   
Welcome and opening remarks from the chair
David Sidenberg, CEO, BMI Sport
09:35
Opening Address: Nurturing The Development Of e-Sports In Africa
Gideon Sam, President, SASCOC
10:00    
Panel: Lessons From eSports Champions – How to get started as a Pro Player
  • Angelique Ramos, Team Captain, Valkyrie
  • Alasdair Donaldson, Team Member, VexxedPhoenix
  • Koen Schobbers, eSports expert, FOX-Sports presenter, pro gamer, speaker & medical student
Moderator: Colin Webster, General Secretary, Mind Sports South Africa
11:00   
Coffee Break
11:30   
Presentation: Becoming a Recognized Club In South Africa
Colin Webster, General Secretary, Mind Sports South Africa
12:00   
Panel: Sustaining The Business Of eSports
  • Johan Van Breda, Co Founder, ZAG Academy
  • Eben Kwecy Hayford. President, Ghana eSports Association (GeSA)
  • Kyle Wolmarans, Gaming & eSports Specialist, Wunderman SA
  • Chris Heaton, Managing Director, Brand inc, Sportal & eSports Industry
  • Evert de Bruyn, Attorney, de Bruyn Attorneys
Moderator: David Sidenberg, CEO, BMI Sport
13:00  
Lunch
14:00   
Presentation: How To Be A Team Player – Team Management Tips for Gaming Industry Leaders
Goodnews Cadogan, Chief Coaching Officer, The Village Leadership Consulting

14:30   
Panel: Social Diversity in eSports
  • Flip de Bruyn, Vice President, Namibian eSports federation
  • Angelique Ramos, Team Captain, Valkyrie
  • Eben Kwecy Hayford. President, Ghana eSports Association (GeSA)
  • Koen Schobbers, eSports expert, FOX-Sports presenter, pro gamer, speaker & medical student
Moderator: Colin Webster, General Secretary, Mind Sports South Africa

15:30   
Coffee Break
16:00   
Panel: Analysing the ROI of Advertising and sponsorship of eSports
  • Kyle Wolmarans, Gaming & eSports Specialist, Wunderman SA
  • Chris Heaton, Managing Director, Brand inc, Sportal & eSports Industry
  • Mlondi Mashinini, Co-Founder, GAMES (Global Assembly Marketing eSports)
  • Daniel Cossi, President, World Esports Consortium (tbc)
Moderator: Tonya Khoury, CEO, Acumen Media Management

17:00   
Closing Remarks From The Chair
David Sidenberg, CEO, BMI Sport
17:05   

End of Day One

DAY TWO
14 August 2018

09:00   
Registration & Morning Coffee
09:30   
Welcome and Opening Remarks From The Chair
David Sidenberg, CEO, BMI Sport
09:35   
Presentation: Social Acceptance of Esport as a Sport - Has Africa Accepted it yet?
Rudi Rebstein, Peak Performance Coach, Rebstein Research Ltd
10:00   
Panel:  How Pro Players Can Work Together With Developers To Make Better Games
  • Angelique Ramos, Team Captain, Valkyrie
  • Alasdair Donaldson, Team Member, VexxedPhoenix
  • Koen Schobbers, eSports expert, FOX-Sports presenter, pro gamer, speaker & medical student
  • Daniel Cossi, President, World Esports Consortium (tbc)
Moderator: Kyle Wolmarans, Gaming & eSports Specialist, Wunderman SA
11:00   
Coffee Break
11:30  

Presentation: All Things Legal in eSports
Evert de Bruyn, Attorney, de Bruyn Attorneys

12:00   
Panel: Broadcasting and Media Coverage Of eSports Events – Online VS T.V
  • Chris Heaton, Managing Director, Brand inc, Sportal & eSports Industry
  • Koen Schobbers, eSports expert, FOX-Sports presenter, pro gamer, speaker & medical student
  • Kyle Wolmarans, Gaming & eSports Specialist, Wunderman SA
  • Marcia Mahlalela, Planning and strategy Manager, SABC Sport
  • Brad Kirby, Head of Product, Kwese Gamer
  • Mlondi Mashinini, Co-Founder, GAMES (Global Assembly Marketing eSports)
Moderator: Tonya Khoury, CEO, Acumen Media Management

 13:00   

 Lunch

 14:00   

 Presentation: Training South Africa’s eSports Champions of Tomorrow

 Johan Van Breda, Co Founder, ZAG Academy

 14:30   

 Panel: eSports At The Olympics: The Future Of Gaming And Sports
  • Eben Kwecy Hayford. President, Ghana eSports Association (GeSA)
  • Colin Webster, General Secretary, Mind Sports South Africa
  • Gideon Sam, President, SASCOC
  • Daniel Cossi, President, World Esports Consortium (tbc)
Moderator: Evert de Bruyn, Attorney, de Bruyn Attorneys

 15:30   

 Coffee Break

 16:00   

 Panel: Looking to the future of eSports – What needs to be done for Africa to succeed
  • Colin Webster, General Secretary, Mind Sports South Africa
  • Gideon Sam, President, SASCOC
  • Eben Kwecy Hayford. President, Ghana eSports Association (GeSA)
  • Flip de Bruyn, Vice President, Namibian eSports federation
Moderator: Johan Van Breda, Co Founder, ZAG Academy

17:00
Closing Remarks From The Chair
David Sidenberg, CEO, BMI Sport
17:05
End of conference
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Tuesday, 27 February 2018

Colin Webster's testimony before the Zulman Commission of Inquiry.

Colin Webster at the Zulman Commission of Inquiry.
MSSA's General Secretary, Colin Webster, also appeared before the Zulman Commission of Inquiry which is investigating maladministration in SASCOC.

In his testimony, Colin Webster raised the following:
  • SASCOC as a Company and as a Voluntary Association
  • Unlawful payments by the NDLTF to the SASCOC (NPC's) bank account
  • Enabling activities by the then Minister of Sport and Recreation, Mr Fikile Mbalula
  • The 'so-called' suspension of Mind Sports South Africa
  • Issues surrounding the Collins' Commission of which he was a member
  • The dissolution of the Legal and Arbitration Committee when it started to investigate one of its own members
  • Victimisation of those who spoke out against SASCOC
  • The attempt by SASCOC to silence him through the Adv. David Beasley tribunal
  • SASCOC's unlawful interference in the affairs of its members
Without doubt the most serious of all the allegations are those surrounding SASCOC as a Company and as a Voluntary Association.

SASCOC was registered on 26 November 2004 as a Non Profit Company (a Section 21 company under the old Act) under company number 2004/033949/08. The company remains registered and in business to this day according to CIPC.
The registered directors are:

SAMBASIVAN RAMSAMY - Director Active
MARK RANDALL ALEXANDER - Director Active
HAJERA KAJEE - Director Active
LESLIE DANIEL WILLIAMS - Director Active
REMEMBER RAYMOND MALI - Director Active
MARSHA MARESCIA - Director Active
AURELIA BONGEPHIWE MTHETHWA - Director Active
GIDEON NAPOLEON SAM - Director Active
LEHLOHONDLO JAMES LETUKA - Director Active
MUBARAK MAHOMED - Director Active
JAYSEELAN NAIDOO - Director Active

The Companies Act was amended in 2008, coming into effect on 1 May 2011, however,  certain clauses were not in full effect until 1 May 2013.

However, SASCOC took a decision to create a voluntary association under the same name.

It adopted a constitution in those terms on 26 September 2015.

SASCOC purported to ‘convert’ itself from a company to a voluntary association via this process, which was obtained via resolution passed by the members of the company at a meeting of a company.
It must be noted that there is no provision in the Companies Act 71 of 2008 for a company to ‘convert’ to any other legal entity. The Co-operative Act 14 of 2005 permits a company to convert to a Co-operative, but under that Act subject to stringent requirements.

Accordingly, what SASCOC attempted to do in 2015 was not possible in law. 

All that was achieved was to create a second legal entity so that SASCOC is now a company and a voluntary association.
The consequences of this are the following:
  • SASCOC has publically (and according to all notifications to its members) ceased to carry on its operations under the banner of the company.
  • Accordingly, SASCOC has ‘transferred’ staff, assets, bank accounts, contract, etc, from the company to the voluntary association without any legal grounds for doing so.
  • The directors of SASCOC NPC (listed above) have effectively assets-stripped the company in favour of the voluntary association, despite their fiduciary duties to the company as directors.
  • SASCOC, the NPC, is the legal entity recognised as by the Minister of Sport in terms of the National Sport and Recreation Act. The Minister has not terminated that recognition and recognised the voluntary association in its place. Accordingly, the voluntary association is acting illegally by purporting to act as the Sports Confederation in terms of the National Sport and Recreation Act.
  • SASCOC NPC is also the body which was affiliated to the IOC and several other international bodies, although the voluntary association has taken over that affiliation without reapplying afresh.
  • SASCOC NPC is further the body registered with SARS for tax. The voluntary association could not just take over that registration or exemption as a Public Benefit Organisation.
The full impact of SASCOC’s conduct of purporting to ‘convert’ to a voluntary association is that the rules of governance have changed dramatically. This is best explained as follows:
In terms of the Companies Act, the company does not have special powers vis-à-vis its members (it is impossible to think of Anglo-American taking over one of its shareholders if it is unhappy with that shareholder). The rules of governance are geared towards the members holding the board of directors of the company accountable, and not the board of directors hold the company accountable.

Schedule 1 of the Companies Act has rules relating to Non Profit Companies. The ones which impacted SASCOC the most were that:
  • One third of the board of directors have to be replaced each year. SASCOC has never complied with this provision.
  • Membership can only be voting or non-voting – it is not possible to have differently weighted votes.
  • Ex officio membership is not permitted. So a board member cannot become a member by virtue alone of being a board member. This means that board members (unless they have other rights in their personal capacities) do not have the right to vote as such at SASCOC members’ meetings.

SASCOC could provide for how membership could (or would) be lost. However, it would be in conflict with many provisions of the Companies Act for SASCOC to take over a member (or place it under administration, as SASCOC terms it).

Accordingly, all acts committed before September 2015 in which SASCOC purported to interfere directly (as opposed to suspending or terminating membership) in the affairs of its members was in conflict with the Companies Act and therefore invalid and unlawful. (The SASCOC Articles/Constitution or MOI, whatever term it uses, cannot trump the Companies Act. Section 5 of the Act provides for the situations where the Companies Act will not automatically prevail, and nowhere is SASCOC mentioned.)

By purporting to ‘convert’ to a voluntary association SASCOC has attempted to avoid the governance provisions of the Companies Act and rather resort to the rather looser basis of a voluntary association (purportedly based in contract). The reasoning being that the members of SASCOC can agree to SASCOC interfering in their affairs by agreeing to it in a constitution. Accordingly, any member of the SASCOC voluntary association is subject to its constitution and to any action taken against then by SASCOC when it is acting as the voluntary association. However, members who did not agree to join the voluntary association are protected by the Companies Act, and all members who were interfered with prior to 2015 would have a claim against the directors and senior management of SASCOC for any harm caused.

The directors of SASCOC NPC have been derelict in their duties by permitting the asset stripping of the company in favour of the voluntary association. Further, in so far as they violated the rights of any members in breach of the provisions of the Companies Act, they have been delinquent.

The directors have also failed to hold meetings of the company since 2015, and have not continued to produce financial statements of the company or fulfil their other functions as directors. On these grounds they should be reported to the Companies Tribunal to take action against them in their personal capacities.
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