There was a special moment of friendship as the captains of South Africa’s men’s and women’s esports teams hugged each other. They were getting ready to leave their home country to travel to a big international competition.

This picture shows Shaden Dre Shabalala, who leads the men’s team, giving a hug to Rowell Pillay, the captain of the women’s team. They were saying goodbye on the night before their flight.

The team is officially called the Mind Sports South Africa Protea Esports Team. They will be playing the game Mobile Legends Bang Bang. Their journey begins on November 30, 2025. They are flying from South Africa all the way to Kuala Lumpur, which is in Malaysia. That is where the IESF World Esports Championships is taking place this year.

The competition will happen at a place called CLOUD Kuala Lumpur. It is located on the 6th floor of the Quill City Mall. The organizers chose this location to make sure that everyone who plays and everyone who watches has a very good time. It is set up to be a wonderful experience for all the people involved.

Even though the location is nice, the players are not there just for a vacation. They are looking forward to playing against the best teams that the IESF has brought together. Their eyes are set on doing the very best they can. They are not focused on the prize money, but rather on bringing home glory and honor for their country.

Both the Protea Men’s Team and the Protea Women’s Team did an excellent job in the qualifying rounds. They managed to beat every other national team they played against. What made this even more impressive is that they did it with grace. They showed the highest level of sportsmanship while winning their matches.

The prize money for the winners is quite substantial. For the main MLBB competition, the first place team will receive $32,500. The team that comes in second place gets $19,500. The team that finishes in third place wins $13,000.

For the MLBB Women’s competition, the prizes are also significant. The first place women’s team will take home $17,500. The second place team earns $10,500. The third place team is awarded $7,000.

Johan van Breda is the National Team Manager for MSSA. He spoke highly of the teams. He said that these two groups are the finest MLBB teams that have ever qualified for an IESF World Esports Championships. He mentioned that he could not be prouder to manage them. He also expressed his confidence that the teams will perform to the very best of their abilities.

The Women’s team is made up of talented players from different clubs and provinces. Here is the list of the women who are representing South Africa: