NELSPRUIT – The first black person to summit Mount Everest successfully and who hails from Nelspruit, Sibusiso Vilane, was part of an expedition that was suppose to climb the world’s highest mountain before an avalanche occurred on Friday which resulted in the death of 13 Sherpas.
Vilane and his partner, Saray Khumalo, were members of a group of 23 climbers, Ubuntu Everest, which left on April 1. They are currently staying at and operating from Everest Base Camp.
“They are safe and go out on acclimatisation climbs, returning to camp,” said Dr Liziwe Masoga, official spokesman and head of People at Discovery. Asian Trekking has not yet made a decision about continuing the expedition, but is expected to do so by Thursday afternoon.
Khumalo, seeking to be the first black woman to summit Everest said she and Vilane were at base camp on Friday morning when the avalanche occurred about 500 metres further up the mountain.
The two climbers were on their way down from Lobuche East to Everest Base Camp on Friday when there was talk of another avalanche if the remaining block of ice came away. “Saray and Sibusiso are doing fine. At this present moment we are uncertain if they will continue with their expedition and we will be informed of whether their plans to summit have changed or not, once they return to Base Camp. We hope they do return,” Masoga said.
Khumalo is climbing Everest for the first time. The driving force behind their attempt isn’t personal glory but rather making a positive impact on the lives of young South Africans. “Education is a subject close to the hearts of these two mountaineers, who believe in its value, which has the capacity to impact positively on the lives of many young people. Sibusiso is climbing in aid of the Mandela Day Library Initiative and for every R195 000 generated through public donations, one container library can be built and placed at a school,” said Masoga.
Vilane feels that the future depends entirely on the education of children. “Their access to information to broaden their thinking and understanding of the ever-changing and challenging world, is of critical importance.”
Khumalo who has already raised R140 000 for The Lunchbox Fund, is aiming to raise a total of R1 million. “This is by far the most exciting and possibly, life-changing expedition for me as an individual.” She is looking forward to the challenge and has been training for this climb over the past year. “I really hope that I will be able to make a difference to the lives of orphaned and vulnerable children through promoting and encouraging healthy eating at their schools.”
The Lunchbox Fund is an organisation that focuses on promoting this concept by providing daily meals for orphaned and vulnerable children in South Africa’s townships and rural areas.
People who want to support her campaign can donate funds through the website at https://lovetodogood.org.za/campaign/ubuntu-everest or https://www.thelunchboxfund.org/donate.html
Lowvelder spoke to Vilane in 2005 after he became the first black person to summit Everest.
He then embarked on The Seven Summits Quest to climb the highest mountain on each continent. After successfully completing this challenge, and becoming the first black person in the world to do so, he and climbing partner Alex Harris became the first South Africans to walk to the South Pole, unsupported.
Their Facebook page on Thursday morning read, “While most of the big Everest operators have already cancelled for the 2014 season, we await an official communication from Asian Trekking for Saray and Sibusiso on the way forward.”
