Thato Wesley Maredi is making history. He is the very first esports player from Tembisa to join the official Protea team. Now, he is in Morocco with a clear mission: to bring honor back to South Africa. He wants to make up for the disappointment of the Bafana Bafana football team’s exit from the CAF tournament in 2025. Thato is ready to fight hard for his country.
The competition is the ACES Africa eSports Championships. It is taking place in the city of Casablanca. Even though the tournament was planned very quickly, 42 of the best esports countries in the world have come to compete. The Moroccan government helped a lot with the arrangements. Many teams only applied for their travel visas at the very last minute, but everything was sorted out in time.
The South African team had a very stressful journey. They received their visas only at 2:00 PM on the exact day they were supposed to leave. Despite this last-minute rush, Thato made it to Morocco safely. He is now preparing to face some of the toughest players in Africa. The competition is going to be intense, but he is focused on doing his best.
Thato begins his battles today, on January 15, 2026. He is not taking it easy; he is jumping straight into the fire. His schedule is extremely tight. He has to play three full matches in just three hours. This is a huge test of his skill and his stamina. He needs to stay sharp and keep his energy up for every game.
His opponents are top players from Ethiopia, Senegal, and Libya. These countries have strong esports teams, so Thato cannot afford to make mistakes. He is determined to carry the South African flag with pride and honor. He wants to show the world that South Africa has talent in digital sports. Every click and every move he makes will be for his country.
Here is the schedule for Thato’s matches today:
18:45: Thato Wesley Maredi (South Africa) vs. Selom Seyfu (Ethiopia)
19:15: Thato Wesley Maredi (South Africa) vs. Mamadou Ndiaye (Senegal)
19:45: Thato Wesley Maredi (South Africa) vs. Zuhayr Esam Mohammed Mahnah (Libya)
Fans who want to watch these exciting matches can see them live. The games will be streamed online for everyone to see. This is a big moment for Thato and for South African esports. He is ready to give everything he has in these three hours of competition.
The game he is playing is called eFootball™. This is the new version of the famous soccer game that used to be known as PES. It has evolved into a new era of digital soccer. It offers a next-generation experience for players and fans alike. Thato is an expert at this game and is ready to show his skills on the international stage.
Here are some additional articles you might find interesting:
- 2026 Calendar of events
- AEC24 – Champions of all of Africa – Protea Female Counter Strike 2 Esports Team wins AEC24
- AEC24 – Forged in battle – a Counter Strike story…
- Affiliation: Private Clubs
- Affiliation – Procedure to be followed by school clubs affiliating for the 2026 season.
- ACES – Avenging Bafana
