Victorious ‘Tropika’ team cashes in on R1-million

Makubalo plans to double his share before the year is up

AFTER 12 weeks of grit and fierce competition, Eastern Cape singer Anga “NaakMusiQ” Makubalo and his partner Bonginkosi Ndima have won R1-million on the seventh season of Tropika Island of Treasure.

Makubalo told the Daily Dispatch yesterday that he was taking it easy and allowing his latest achievement to sink in.

“I have no plans yet – for me life carries on,” he said, adding that he would take his share of the R1-million as a mid-year bonus.

“I plan on working hard to double that amount in a short space of time.”

After 11 episodes of physical and mental exertion, exhaustion and eliminations, the season finale on Monday night was anyone’s game.

The teams had to use everything they had learned throughout the season including making the most their bounty advantages and remaining both physically and mentally strong – all traits that of Makubalo and Ndima consistently displayed throughout the game.

Season 7 featured seven South African celebrities, paired with consumer contestants, spending three weeks on the luxurious paradise island of Seychelles competing for a cash prize.

The winning team gets to split R1million cash, while initiatives were undertaken throughout the season to raise money for the Childhood Cancer Foundation of South Africa (CHOC).

The other celebrities in Seychelles this year were musician Karlien van Jaarsveld‚ Isidingo actors Zakeeya Patel and Maurice Paige‚ comedian Siv Ngesi‚ actress Jessica Nkosi and rapper Emtee.

The host was presenter Minnie Dlamini and games master Jonathan Boynton-Lee.

The winning duo said the show was not as easy as it looked.

“The experience was insane for both Bongs and me.

“It was intense, exciting, exhausting and fun all at the same time,” said Makubalok, adding that he had also really enjoyed the time spent off camera during the show.

“It was great to experience the island life and enjoy the beautiful Seychelles.”

Ndima said he was still shocked that they won the season.

“I still can’t believe we won R1million, it’s a dream come true.

“I definitely had the best celebrity partner and the whole Tropika experience is one I will never forget,” he said.

Every Monday, when SABC3 screened show, it seemed like the whole of South Africa was tweeting comments, with TV critic Thinus Ferreira saying “finally, the Cloversponsored programme is looking and feeling like a proper aspirational reality competition”.

“This season of Tropika Island Of Treasure has been an astounding success. Our focus on ensuring that we produce a programme that enabled us to connect with our audience, coupled with world-class production and an integrated alignment to our brand essence, saw the show trending on a weekly basis, which was fantastic.

“It was great to see South Africans engaging with and enjoying our content, the contestants and the various activities they undertook throughout the season,” said brand group manager Miantha Padayachee. — DDR