With only a quarter of the climb left to the top of Kilimanjaro during the recent annual trek honouring former President Nelson Mandela, Limpopo business personality Sarel Nong felt like giving up as he was confronted by extreme temperatures and excessive physical impact.
But the former president of Sapa Yopa Motorcycle Club persevered and on his first attempt made it to the top ahead of the rest of the Trek4Mandela team members, brought together from different corners of the world.
Nong conceded to it having been an overwhelmingly emotional moment meeting a challenge set five months prior when he was selected as one of six news makers who were supposed to undertake a motorcycle ride through Africa before climbing Kilimanjaro as part of a fundraiser aimed at keeping girls in school. The purpose to fundraise for girls in his home province drove him to complete the trek, as did the Mandela legacy and the personal challenge.
It was hard to believe that he was ascending Africa’s highest peak a week prior, reaching the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro on the morning of Madiba’s birthday while the world was out in force to contribute 67 minutes towards a worthy cause last Tuesday. Seven days later he was relaxingly speaking of about those moments on the mountain during an interview in a quiet corner in Polokwane, away from the seemingly growing fan interest expected to accompany the elevated news maker status. Despite the media hype around the campaign, Nong emerged his customary humble self as he shared the highlights from a journey he regards as the first of many more to be tackled.
He revisited a detour through the Kilimanjaro Rainforest where the group of 24 camped at Mandara on the first night of the trip, bringing them very close to the creatures lurking in the lush vegetation. “It was wild!” he exclaimed in describing the experience. Since the first day the journey had ensured a steep climb, he said. From then onwards their bodies had to get used to the change in altitude.
Having left the camp the next day they had traversed across a moon landscape of which the vegetation was drastically different to what they were first introduced to as they made their way to Horombo 22km away, Nong recalls. Due to the need to acclimatise they had to climb to a higher altitude and return to the camp at Horombo again on the third day. The fourth day saw them crossing Volcano Desert with rocky flatland devoid of any vegetation en route to Kibu, he remembers. By then temperatures had dropped from almost 30 degrees experienced at the start of the climb to a freezing estimated -2 degrees, he mentioned. Asked about the emotions he must have experienced by then, Nong responded saying at the time Kilimanjaro had afforded him a view of a very big rock, enshrouded in mist and of which he couldn’t see the top. He could barely contain his excitement, he laughed.
Reaching to Kibu around 18:00 had afforded them a few hours to rest before embarking on the final stage of the climb to Uhuru at 22:00, but he didn’t allow himself the opportunity to go sleep as not to lose interest in attempting the last stretch to the top, he explained.
On the way up the weather had taken a turn which impacted on their pace and slowed them down by 30 to 40 minutes, he said and added that they couldn’t move fast as they had to save energy and oxygen. In order for him to prevent his toes from freezing and it being his only means of survival, he had realised he couldn’t stop and as a result left the group to reach the top before the others with one of the guides who accompanied them on their trek.
Already at a quarter of the way left he had experienced chest pains and felt his lungs wanting to explode, he stressed. He simultaneously had headaches and nausea but, as in the case of fellow-team members knew the reason for being there and kept going. According to him they had continuously been monitored on the route by two Tanzanian doctors who formed part of the excursion. Here he paused to mention that altitude sickness prevented four of the team members to give up on the last part of the climb. He hailed their expedition leader, Sibusiso Vilane for being the only among five team members to have reached the top of Kilimanjaro twice in 24 hours in celebration of his 20th climb to the summit.
After a mere 20 minutes at Uhuru peak, the highest point on the African continent, Nong commenced the return journey. Half an hour into the climb down he had passed Letshego Zulu who reportedly participated to honour the memory of her late husband, Gugu who died on the mountain during the same expedition last year, he said. He continued to remark how he wanted to encourage her by saying she only had four minutes to the top.
Back in South Africa last Thursday evening he walked into the first celebratory party in Johannesburg and the second in Seshego on Sunday afternoon, has since been catching up with an adoring circle of followers and taking requests from prospective Kili climbers.
He might be slightly toning down on the excessive training programme for now, Nong said but still planned to go on similar expeditions as he had his sights set on equally challenging mountain tops in other parts of the world in future. But first he had to catch up on much needed sleep to get over the exhaustion.
Story & photo: YOLANDE NEL
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