Cosplay stole the spotlight at Comic Con Africa last week. No matter what you were doing, whether gaming, shopping or exploring, incredible costumes surrounded you and brought famed characters to life.
The highlight for many was the Championship of Cosplay, where the best of the best competed across four categories: Masters Champion, Champion of Needlework, Champion of Armour, and the overall Comic Con Africa Champion.
This year’s overall champion title was awarded to Madelein Myburgh, @maddie_final.cos on Instagram, for her breathtaking portrayal of Furina, a character from Genshin Impact. The competition celebrates craftsmanship, creativity, and performance, turning the main stage into a showcase of months, sometimes years, of dedication.
Myburgh’s meticulously crafted costume and intricate design work earned her a R10,000 cash prize and, even more exciting for most cosplayers, a coveted spot in the 2026 Cosplay Central Crown Championship of Cosplay, complete with return flights and three nights’ accommodation.
Myburgh will travel to London to represent South Africa as the Comic Con Africa champion, competing against top cosplay winners from PAX Aus in Australia, Paris Manga in France, Japan Weekend Madrid in Spain, C2E2 in the United States, and UniCon in Latvia.
Telkom VS Gaming cosplay and gaming
Telkom VS Gaming added to the cosplay buzz with a competition that invited participants to portray characters from the Telkom VS Gaming universe: the gaming guru Mobile Mo; the content queen Vibey Val; or the tech wizard S-Tech. Lufung “Fufu” Mdauwas, as Vibey Val, won the title and took home R10,000.
The energy didn’t stop at cosplay. VS Gaming delivered high-stakes esports action across four major tournaments. The Masters Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) tournament headlined the weekend, with the Top 8 teams battling for R300,000. Bravado Gaming dominated the grand final, sweeping Kitsune Esports 3–0 to take first place and R150,000.
Bravado has long been a cornerstone of the local esports scene and has taken South African esports to the global stage. One of the team’s recent efforts was Project Destiny 2.0, an international campaign that involved establishing a base in Serbia and competing against some of the world’s best. While not every project has gone as planned, their consistent ambition continues to push the region’s competitive scene forward.
The Rocket League Championship crowned Team Jika My Baby as winners after they defeated Team Poney No Jutsu to claim the top prize of R25,000 from the R62,000 pool.
The High School Esports League (HSEL) rounded out the weekend, with St John’s College taking the CS2 final for R45,000, defeating the 2024 champions, Parklands College. Curro Durbanville won the Rocket League final for R45,000 from the R180,000 prize pool.
“The final LAN events showcase the talent of some of the country’s best players and teams,” Johann von Backström, Telkom VS Gaming senior manager for content and gaming, told Gadget.
He said the HSEL, a grassroots league that began about five years ago, serves as the starting point for many competitive gamers. From there, young players often progress to the Masters tournaments and, in some cases, even compete internationally. Some may eventually return to the scene as coaches, guiding the next generation of high school teams.
VS Gaming’s presence went beyond the competitive finals. Attendees could dive into a Free-to-Play Zone, where casual players battled for daily prizes in Telkom Plus mobile games. The EAFC Free-to-Play Zone offered a more social experience, from one-on-one matches to 32-player tournament brackets, all in a king-of-the-hill format.
For racing enthusiasts, the Openserve Sim Racing Zone provided two high-end racing setups with daily competitions and a R10,000 cash prize for the fastest lap of the weekend.
The Telkom Smart Home experience showcased connected living, featuring smart TVs, cameras, and automated lighting and vacuums. In partnership with Samsung, the Mobile Arena offered mobile gaming challenges, a Gemini AI cosplay photo booth, and leaderboard prizes.
*Jason Bannier is a data analyst at World Wide Worx and deputy editor of Gadget.co.za. Follow him on Bluesky at @jas2bann.