Former AFL player, Survivor winner dies

Former AFL player and winner of the first series of Australian Survivor Rob Dickson has died in a car accident in South Africa.

Dickson's five-year-old son Byron was also killed in the crash between Sun City and Pretoria.

His wife Dusty and other son Gabriel were injured and are currently being treated in hospital.

The family had been holidaying in South Africa when the accident happened.

Mr Dickson's brother Don said the family was shattered by the accident and family members were flying to South Africa.

"Our family is devastated by the news," he said in a statement.

"Rob was a wonderful brother, a wonderful son and father to his boys."

Dickson, 45, made his AFL debut for Hawthorn in 1998 and went on to play 17 games for the club over three seasons.

In 1991, he moved the Brisbane Bears where he played out his last season.

Just over a decade later in 2002, Dickson rocketed to fame by winning the first series of Australian Survivor. He took home $500,000 in prize money.

After being crowned the winner, Dickson vowed he would use some of the cash to bring his wife's family out to Australia from her native Zimbabwe, the Herald Sun reports.

In more recent years, Dickson had made a name for himself as a maker of AFL documentaries, most recently recently completing The Essence of the Game, a program tracing Hawthorn's rise to the premiership.

Don Dickson said his brother had been a "shining light" throughout his life.

"He just achieved so much in his life as a footballer, as a contestant on Australian Survivor and with his film production work — and also as a loving and kind father," Mr Dickson said.

"From an early age everything he turned his hand to he was sensational at but above all he was such a wonderful person who we loved so much."

AFL Chief Executive Officer Andrew Demetriou said staff at the AFL were in mourning over Dickson's shock death.

"Rob was a personal friend and a great and positive force in life," Mr Demetriou said.

"He was a wonderful film-maker but above all he was a wonderful person who brought enormous empathy to what he was doing, whether it was filming a NAB Auskick clinic or Sam Mitchell standing in the middle of the MCG savouring a premiership medal."

A spokeswoman from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said Australian consular staff were still attempting to confirm reports of the accident.

If confirmed, support would be offered to the any of the victim's family in Australia who needed to travel urgently to South Africa, she said.