KENYA’S QUEEN ARROW SECURES 2ND PLACE AT MZANSI ESPORTS CHAMPIONS

African women esports players took centre stage at the Mzansi Esports Champions 2024, held during the rAge Expo in Johannesburg. 

The championship crowned ‘Iron-Fist’ Zahraa Khan from South Africa as the ultimate winner, while ‘Queen Arrow’ Sylvia Wahome of Kenya secured second place and ‘Sentaku’ Safidy Andrianisoa from Madagascar claimed third.

Commenting on the Champions, second-placed Queen Arrow  said, “These events allow for women who are new to the world of gaming and esports get a foothold into the space without the undue scrutiny that is usually placed on minorities.”

Reflecting on her first-ever all-female tournament win Iron-First shared, “I feel that this will open many more doors for me to compete internationally and solidify my status as a competitor. I’ve been competing for 7 years and I have been working as hard as I can at tournaments so that I can proudly say I’m up there with the best of the best Tekken players in South Africa, especially in a male-dominated society.I hope that I have inspired other women to play and keep playing. This was my first ever all-female tournament and I would like to see more of these in the future.”

This year’s championship saw eight talented players representing their respective countries, competing for a prize pool of $2,500. The final rankings are as follows:

1. ‘Iron-Fist’ Zahraa Khan – South Africa
2. ‘QueenArrow’ Sylvia Wahome – Kenya
3. ‘Sentaku’ Safidy Andrianisoa – Madagascar
4. ‘Gwyn Stacy’ Matimbe Gweyneth Edina – Malawi
5. ‘Sugar’ Setsabile Shabangu – Eswatini (tied 5th)
6. ‘ATMBYTES’ Asante-Sana Maruwasa – Namibia (tied 5th)
7. ‘LiaRose’ Bwalia Nkumbula – Zambia (tied 7th) 
8. ‘EL’ Liteboho Thebe – Lesotho (tied 7th)