On 1 April, the legendary game of TuksVivor drew to a close. The third annual event reached new heights, featuring increased prize money and providing live and real-time footage to appeal to the broader community. A further incentive for the public is that TuksVivor is hosted by Chappies, a two-time contender of Survivor South Africa and a former UP and Morula Legae student. The competition took place from 27 March to 1 April, and the contestants took part in a competition that looked much like the original Survivor but condensed into six days consisting of tribes, numerous challenges and tribal councils.
Twenty-four contestants were selected to compete from submitted applications. Lanché van Tonder, the TuksRes manager of Residence Management and Student Life, explained the application process, “The TuksVivor team considers all applications and then, between a group of 12 people, decide who would provide the most entertainment over the six days.” The contestants then competed in the game at the Intundla Game Lodge and Bush Spa, where they were divided into three tribes: Whanau, Ignis, and Morehu. Within these tribes, the competitors took part in numerous challenges and voted members out in the tribal councils. The remaining members eventually merged into one tribe and continued until the final, in which three contestants remained.
This year, the three contestants that made the final tribal council were Njabulo Liseko (Tuks Ekhaya), Anri van Dyk (Vividus Day House), and Kyle White (Tuks Ekhaya). The results of TuksVivor, much like Survivor SA, are decided by a jury of previous contestants. The jury can ask a contestant one question or make one statement to decide who they should vote for as the winner of TuksVivor. This resulted in Kyle receiving five of the eight votes, making him the winner of TuksVivor 2024 and the recipient of the R16 000 prize. Anri was the runner up with two votes and won the prize of R8 000. Finally, Njabulo walked away with the third prize and was also voted Fan Favourite by the audience.
When asked about how they found the experience, Kyle said, “It’s something I will cherish for the rest of my life, and I made memories and lots of great friends.” However, he commented that it is tough because the condensed nature of the game “heightens the experience’’. Anri shared Kyle’s sentiments, as “it was wonderful’’ but “the day [they] had four challenges was the worst’’. This event enhances not only student life but also the students’ personal growth, as it is difficult and entails hard work to compete. This was demonstrated in the final by the emotional nature of the jury’s questions and statements directed toward the contestants.
Although Njabulo was the fan favourite, there were a few on the jury that expressed negativity toward how he had played the game. Chappies commented that the audience votes for their favourite “without all the emotions, pure game”. This indicated how emotionally strenuous the game was for all that competed but also that the experience, above all, was enjoyed. When asked what the aim of the event was, Van Tonder stated that “the impact the experience has on participants is inexplicable’’.
The sponsors who made the event possible were TuksRes, Tomato, Reebok, AJR Audio, and Intundla Game Lodge and Bush Spa. Redgreenblue Creative was in charge of production, following all the action and allowing the audience to watch it live and in real time. The contestants each received gifts that consisted of a watch and backpack from Tomato (and a reversible hat for the winner) and Reebok fragrance. The entire show was live-streamed and is available on the TuksVivor Youtube channel.
