Meet the 'Smoooth Fans' competing on 'Tropika Island Of Treasure'

Eight ordinary South Africans are about to trade their everyday lives for one of the country’s toughest reality competitions. “Tropika Island Of Treasure” returns for its 12th season on September 23.

The format pairs eight celebrities, Nadia Nakai, Caster Semenya, Francois Hougaard, Leandie du Randt, Sandile Mahlangu, Amanda du-Pont, Lalela Mswane and Wiseman Mncube, with eight members of the public competing together for a share of the R1 million grand prize.

Brand manager Sveti Kovatcheva, who oversees the “Dairy Fruit Mix” portfolio at “Clover”, previously told “The National” that the distinction between celebrity and fan tends to disappear fast once teams form.

“This season, the cast connected exceptionally well. I genuinely believe we will see lifelong friendships come out of this journey,” she said, describing how pairs often develop their own team identity and end up becoming each other’s closest support through the competition. 

“Everyday South Africans are given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to travel, compete and stand side by side with those celebrities. That is something truly special,” she added. This year’s eight fans come from strikingly different corners of the country and different walks of life entirely.

Meet the 'Tropika Island Of Treasure' fans

Andile Khuluse, 24, from Pietermaritzburg and now based in Johannesburg, is a final year Bachelor of Education student who has spent four years interning while also working as a personal trainer, sports coach and fitness enthusiast with an interest in photography and cinematography. 

Khuluse is hoping the show opens doors beyond the prize money, including exposure that could lead to future brand opportunities, and wants to use the platform to encourage young people to chase ambitious goals. His biggest strength, he said, comes down to anything physical, paired with an observant approach to the game.

Anke Coetzer, 26 years old,  is a qualified pharmacist from Swellendam, and has wanted to compete on the show for as long as she can remember. Outside the pharmacy, she runs, sings, makes music and cooks. 

Coetzer described herself as a blonde who is “pretty smart, most of the time” and shared her love for science, particularly chemistry. She’s banking on sheer determination and a refusal to give up as her biggest edge in the competition.

Former Big Brother Mzansi contestant Ashay Sewlall is also on the list. He’s originally from Richards Bay and now living in Durban, works as a content creator, radio personality and athlete, building a following around lifestyle, entertainment and motivational content. 

Competitive by nature but known for his ability to connect with people, the 25-year-old joined the show to push himself physically and mentally, and believes his relationship building skills could matter just as much as fitness once the game gets underway.

Iana Strydom, 27, from Johannesburg, split her upbringing between the city and her family’s farm in Frankfort, which shaped a lasting love of the outdoors. She holds an Honours degree in Environmental Sciences and had started a Master’s before switching entirely into full-time content creation. 

Her hobbies range from hiking in the Drakensberg, paddle boarding and competitive padel to fishing and outdoor adventures.

Highly competitive by nature, Strydom enters the show to test her limits, relying on her athleticism and strong-willed mindset. Uniquely, she survived a lion attack as a child, yet remains more afraid of swimming pool bugs.

Jodell Tantij from Johannesburg, is a 25-year-old radio presenter and broadcaster with the 5FM team, known for her on-air energy and storytelling. Alongside a background in education, she’s used to empower young people. 

She holds an Honours degree in curriculum development and design, and left teaching craving exactly the kind of adventure this competition offers. She described herself as a team player and believes her combination of intelligence, fitness and collaboration could carry her far.

Sesimphiwe “Sesi” Mbatha, 25, originally from eMsinga and now based in Cape Town, founded and runs “Sweat & Sound”, and holds a finance degree from the University of Arizona. 

An outdoors enthusiast who’s equally happy organising community events or disappearing off the grid into the mountains, she’d put any winnings toward growing her business and buying a car to explore more of South Africa.

She calls adaptability her greatest strength, backed by a self-described never-say-die attitude.

Hailing from Pretoria, Shaun Farrell works as a Chartered Accountant in technology and digital transformation at “Deloitte Global”, but spends his time outside the office as an endurance athlete, having swum from Robben Island to Blouberg and competed in “HYROX” events. 

The 28-year-old is described as fiercely competitive yet quick to laugh at his own mistakes, he described family, his Christian faith and a love for people as central to who he is.

Born six weeks premature at just 1.78kg, he said he’s spent his whole life defying odds and has no plans to stop now.

Lastly, Thando Zwane, a 35-year-old from Johannesburg, runs “Sthaweni Trading Enterprise” with his sister Noluthando, and played football professionally before a serious injury ended that career, pushing him toward boxing, indoor soccer and padel instead.

His path onto the show took years. After making it to callbacks in an earlier audition, he walked past a Tropika activation at Menlyn Mall on the final day of this year’s auditions, and decided, with a Tropika in hand, to try again. This time he made it. He credits his greatest strength to sheer refusal to give up.

The new season premieres on Wednesdays from September 23 at 9pm on SABC 1, with a repeat every Thursday from September 24 at 6pm on S3.  

nomathamsanqa.sithathu@nationalmg.co.za

THE NATIONAL