Cash-strapped Mark Fish fights to be financial 'Survivor'

In a case of life imitating art, former Bafana Bafana defender Mark Fish finds himself fighting for survival not only on the small screen, but in reality.

On Friday, Absa Bank applied to the High Court in Pretoria to have the former British Premier League player sequestrated.

According to court papers, Fish owes the bank R641295 on his cheque account and R50482 on his credit card.

This means that Fish will need all his fancy footwork to clinch the R500000 up for grabs as a team leader in the latest series of Survivor South Africa: Champions, which starts on M-Net today at 5.30pm.

The former soccer star is up against rugby legend Corné Krige in what is being punted as the "most expensive local show filmed outside of South Africa". Each leads a team of 10 castaways on a South China Sea island.

M-Net's head of entertainment channels, Pierre Cloete, said: "Mark and Corné are both highly competitive and physically strong, but they have very different personalities.

"It will be fascinating to see how these tribe captains strategise to get their team ahead and how they deal with the multiple challenges on the island."

Their success will depend on how they lead contestants such as brash sports manager Solly Mathiba, ditsy blonde Shona Macdonald, astrophysics student Sivu Xabanisa, South African Air Force helicopter pilot Altaaf Sheik (who does not eat fish), petite high school teacher Ashleigh Bryant and entrepreneur Buhle Madlala, who describes herself as a "darkie who can't swim".

Fish said yesterday he was aware of the bank's litigation.

"Unfortunately, it is part and parcel of life and I will have to deal with it," he said. "I will pay them back in due course. At the moment, I'm just trying to make a proper living."

Fish earns an income from his work as a SuperSport analyst and director of an outdoor advertising company.

He blamed his current dire financial situation on his 2011 divorce from model Loui Fish, the mother of his two sons.

"My situation has been orchestrated by my long and gruelling divorce. One cannot anticipate these things. I'm not the first and will surely not be the last that this happens to."

As in other Survivor series, some characters stand out more than others, such as the perfectly groomed "out and proud" gay wedding planner Zavion Kotze, a former Kearsney College head boy, decathlon athlete and under-21 Sharks player.

A tough female to watch is South African National Defence Force sports officer Marsha Wessels, 40, who has completed 10 Iron Man challenges.

"The SANDF gave me excellent foundational skills in discipline, leadership and physical fitness," she said.

"The military also instils courage and exposes one to risks and contingencies. I hope that these skills will make the other team members see me as an asset."

Lani Lombard, M-Net's head of publicity and special projects, said: "The challenges are much bigger and more spectacular than in the past. Logistically, it's a massive operation. You can imagine what it entails to take and accommodate 150 production crew on an exotic island location thousands of miles from home," she said.

The reality show, which is now in its fifth season, will comprise 18 episodes of 90 minutes each.