Calling all volunteers.

MSSA President, Colin Webster, strongly believes that the participation from younger Registered Players is vital for MSSA to deliver exciting products to its members.

Mind Sports South Africa (MSSA) was founded back on 14 December 1985. MSSA depends entirely on volunteers to 'man' the Board of this non profit body.

The Board should consist of a maximum of sixteen (16) officials who help administrate MSSA on a daily basis.

Unfortunately, due to members resigning, there are a number of vacancies.

These vacancies may be filled by the Board from Registered Players who volunteer their services. The Board may only co-opt volunteers for the remainder of the year. Such ruling prevents the Board from loading the Board with people for the entire three-year term and thus compromising the democratic process which is so firmly entrenched within MSSA.

The following positions are thus available:

• 2 x Executive Officer positions
• Board Gaming Representative
• Card Gaming Representative
• Computer (Esports) Gaming Representative
• Legal Advisor
• Disabled Gamer’s Representative

Should you be interested in serving MSSA and the South African community in any/all of the activities for which MSSA is a custodian, please submit your Curriculum Vitae (CV) to Mindsportscorrespondence@gmail.com on or before 31 May 2022.

Remember that should a person be co-opted, the person so co-opted has to be a Registered Player in good standing.

Also read:

• 2022 Calendar of Events
• Affiliation: Private Clubs
• Affiliation - Schools
• Events: 4th Provincial Online Student Championships - 9 April 2022
• Events: 2022 Online Provincial Championships - 16 April 2022
• IDF: MSO Grand Prix 2022
• IESF: Bali Confirmed as Host of the 2022 World Esports Championships Finals
• IESF: IESF TO HOST CSGO EVENT FOR FEMALES.
• IESF: MSSA officially enters Protea Team
• IESF: Six Game Titles for IESF's 2022 World Esports Championships
• Ladder: Clash Royale
• Notices: Calling all volunteers
• Notices: R65,000.00 in prizes for esports league
• Notices - Advertise your club
• Notices: Learners may play for both private and school clubs.
• Notices - Transfer season
• Results: 2022 Online Western Cape Championships
• Results: Combined Online Provincial Championships for Schools
• Titles: With immediate effect.
• Titles - esports: High School Championships
• Titles - esports: Premier Championships
• Titles - esports: Student Championships

Titles selected for all Premier online and LAN championships for the 2018 year.

MSSA's 2017 BOO! Protea League of Legends Team (from left to right): Brett Whitehead, Kyle Taylor, Brandon Fester, Connor Cryans, and Gregory Wessels.

Mind Sports South Africa (MSSA) is the largest member based esports organisation in South Africa and runs more events in more titles than any other organisation in South Africa.
That's not bad for a non-profit organisation that is utterly dependent on volunteers who dedicate hours of their own time and passion to ensure that events take place and go off without a hitch.

MSSA has run esports events, both online and LAN, since 1999, and what started with only one title (StarCraft), MSSA is committed to hosting championships in no less than 10 titles per provincial and national championship.

The big addition for 2018 is 'Rocket League'. For those that do not know, Rocket League is a vehicular soccer video game developed and published by Psyonix. The game was first released for Microsoft Windows and PlayStation 4 in July 2015, with ports for Xbox One, OS X, Linux, and Nintendo Switch later being released. 
The esports title of 'Rocket League' is fast paced, and has a huge and loyal following. 

Thus the titles selected by the Annual General Meeting (AGM) are those that will continue to enhance the concept of esports as a sport and will further enable South Africa to compete on an  international level.

Thus the titles selected for all Premier online and LAN championships for the 2018 year are:

Period/genre	Title	Platform	Players
FPS	CS GO	PC	5 v 5
Sport	FIFA '18	Console	1 v 1
	PES 2018	Console	1 v 1
	Rocket League	PC	3 v 3
RTS	StarCraft II	PC	1 v 1
AOS	Dota 2	PC	5 v 5
	League of Legends	PC	5 v 5
Fighting	Tekken 7	Console	1 v 1
	Street Fighter V	Console	1 v 1
Card	HearthStone	Various	1 v 1

Also read:

Titles selected for all school online and LAN championships and leagues for the 2018 year.

Advantages of affiliation: IeSF's Athlete's Commission

Madelaine Leander - Sweden's member  on IeSF's Athlete's Commission

In Advantages of affiliation we looked at the advantages of being affiliated to MSSA, however now we will look at the advantages of being affiliate to the International eSports Federation (IeSF).

The International eSports Federation has the responsibility and duty to manage and to monitor the everyday running of eSports, including for those on the programme, the practical organisation of events during the Games. IeSF also undertakes to supervise the development of athletes at every level. 

IeSF also undertakes to govern esports at world level and ensure the promotion and development of esports. As such IeSF monitors the everyday administration of esports and guarantees the regular organisation of competitions as well as respect for the rules of fair play.

Thus IeSF, as a non-profit organisation, finds itself in the best possible position to cater for the welfare and protection of the athlete.

Organisations run by private companies will always have, as their first priority, the profit of the organisation. Welfare and development of the athlete will  always be secondary, if that.

Thus, the Athlete's  Commission, as set up by IeSF, which is the first such body for eSports, is the only true organisation which is able to protect  the athlete.

IeSF set up its Athlete's Commission at the WCA's sponsored IeSF's Summit held in Shanghai on 31 July 2016.

Since then there has been a flurry of activity from profit making ventures trying to emulate IeSF.

The difference is, IeSF as a non profit body will outlast them all.

Types of organizations in eSports

Since an organisation is ultimately the result of societal needs and shares collective goals that are linked to both its internal and external environment, such organisations can take many different forms.

There are a variety of legal types of organisations (although we will only be looking at those used for eSports), however, since sport in South Africa is governed by the Sports and Recreation Act of 1988 (as amended), the types of organisations that may be used are regulated by South African law. Such organisations may be:

• companies, being associations incorporated in terms of the Companies Act,
• national federations made up of associations,
• provincial federations made up of associations,and
• clubs made up of associations or individuals.

Essentially, any organisation that does not have a constitution or founding documents in line with the South African Companies Act is either run as a partnership (if ownership is jointly claimed by more than one person, or as a sole-trader (if ownership is claimed by a single person). It is the constitution (or founding documents) that ultimately defines the organisation and spells out the nature of such organisation.

It is important to note that the owners of a partnership and the owner of a sole-trader are personally liable for all debts.

Organisations that are of a profit making venture 

These include:

• Sole-traders,
• Partnerships, and
• Companies that are of a profit making venture.

The above listed bodies are excluded from applying for the benefits that are listed below.

Organisations that are non profit organisations

These include:

• Non profit companies,
• Clubs, and
• Associations.

All of the above qualify for all the benefits as listed below.

Benefits of a properly Constituted organisation

The benefits that accrue to sole-traders and partnerships are indeed limited. Not only are the owners liable to be taxed in their own hands for all sponsorships and winnings, and are liable in their own right, but none of the benefits which accrue to properly constituted organisations can be accessed by sole-traders and partnerships.

The benefits which may be accessed by properly constituted organisations are:

• Local government funding,
• Provincial Government funding
• National government funding
• Jack Cheetham Award (R500,000.00 for the winning programme)
• Letsema Award (R500,000.00 for the winning programme)
• Funding from the National Lottery Trust Fund
• Participation in the S A Sports Awards
• Participation in Regional Sports Councils
• Participation in the Provincial Sports Councils
• Participation in Mind Sports SouthAfrica
• Limited liability for the members and office-bearers (depending on the Constitution)

Public Access to Information Act of 2000 (PAIA)

The Promotion of Access to Information Act was passed in 2000, its main aim is to allow members of the public to assert their right to information.

The Act requires that all public and private bodies register PAIA manuals. Certain levels of business may qualify for the further extension to 31 December 2015 while other still have to submit their manuals in terms of the legislation to the Commission.

These private bodies that have been granted the extension are those which operate in specific sectors, with 50 or more employees OR operate in specific sectors and have an annual turnover equal to or exceeding specific amounts.

According the SAHRC website, "while these private companies no longer have to submit manuals during the period of the new exemption they are not exempted from complying with the rest of the Act."

There are legal penalties that may be imposed for non-compliance.

List of National Organisations

Name of organisation	Type of organisation
South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC)	Non Profit Company
Mind Sports South Africa	Association

List of other organisations

Name of organisation	Type of organisation
Knights Mind Sports Club	Association
Pretoria Boys eSports Club	Association
Roedean Mind Sports Club	Association
St John's Mind Sports Club	Association
University of Witwatersrand Wargames Club	Association