Thato Wesley Maredi has made history as the very first esports player from Tembisa to join the Protea team. He is now in Morocco with a clear mission: to bring honor back to South Africa this month. His goal is to make up for the disappointment felt when the national football team, Bafana Bafana, left the CAF tournament in 2025 without success.
Thato is a talented athlete in the eFootball game and an official member of the Protea squad. He has arrived in Casablanca, Morocco, ready to compete fiercely against players from other nations. He is determined to show strong performance and make his country proud on the international stage.
The ACES Africa eSports Championships features forty-two of the top countries in the world. Even though the event was organized very quickly, many teams managed to attend. The Moroccan government provided significant help to make this possible. Many nations only had the chance to apply for their visas at the very last moment.
The South African team faced a stressful delay with their travel documents. They finally received their visas at 2:00 PM on the same day they were scheduled to leave. Despite this challenge, Thato arrived safely and is ready to begin his matches.
Thato starts his battles today, on January 15, 2026. He will be facing very strong competition from players representing Ethiopia, Senegal, and Libya. These opponents are skilled, and Thato knows he must play at his best to succeed.
He is fully committed to giving his maximum effort. Thato wants to carry the South African flag with both pride and honor. He understands the responsibility of representing his nation and is focused on making a good impression.
Looking at his schedule, Thato will be thrown into the deep end right away. He has to play three intense matches within just three hours. This is a tough test of his endurance and skill right from the start of the tournament.
Here is the schedule for Thato’s matches today:
