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Fulufhelo Ramulifho at Uhuru peak, holding one of the sanitary pad bags. Photo supplied.

Fulu reflects on Gugu Zulu’s last trip

 

Local adventurer and philanthropist Fulufhelo Ramulifho made it to the top of Kilimanjaro last week, but her triumph was somewhat marred by the death of her colleague, Gugu Zulu. The two formed part of the Trek4Mandela expedition that raised funds and awareness for the sanitary needs of school girls in rural areas.

For the 32-year-old ambassador from Thohoyandou, the trip to Kilimanjaro was something she had dreamt of and planned for, for a very long time. She was part of the team of 39 climbers that included the well-known South African racing car driver, Gugu Zulu, and his wife, Letshego.

According to Fulufhelo, climbing up Mount Kilimanjaro was one of the most difficult things she had ever done. “Many people think that it is easy, but it’s not easy climbing that mountain. It is one of the hardest expeditions one can undertake. You may exhibit signs of illness after reaching an altitude of 4 700 metres. It comes with a lot of effort and dedication,” she said.

She said that every climber must be mentally prepared for the challenge that lies ahead and it asks for a lot of praying. “There is the challenge of the high altitude on top of the mountain. Some people get sick while climbing, so having a strong mental ability can help you summit the mountain. I’m very relieved that I managed to overcome those challenges and achieved my dream of raising funds for the girls,” she said.

The triumph of standing at the top of Uhuru, Kilimanjaro’s highest peak, was somewhat overshadowed by the death of her friend, Gugu Zulu. He died after probably suffering from altitude sickness. The Uhuru peak is 5 895 metres above sea level, which puts a tremendous strain on the human body. Gugu’s death, however, was very unexpected as he was very fit and had trained hard for the expedition.

For Fulufhelo, the news of her friend’s death came as a huge blow. “It is one of the hardest pains I have ever felt in my life,” she said. “He was my best friend and a good person. We used to share a lot of stories together. For the past six months we were training together for the expedition,” she added.

When asked if she would ever consider climbing the highest mountain in the world, Mount Everest, she said that she was not ready to climb it soon. “I need a purpose to climb it, not just for fun,” she said.

She further said that she managed to raise R105 000 for the sanitary needs of girls in rural schools. “The sanitary pads will be distributed across the whole country,” she said. She encouraged people to support the Caring4Girls initiative. “We can change the lives of young people and support them not to miss a day at school,” she said.

The aim of the 2016 Trek4Mandela expedition was to raise enough funds to ensure that 350 000 girls will not miss a day of school due to menstrual challenges. The long-term goal of the initiative is to reach two million girls by 2020.

News - Date: 29 July 2016

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Mbulaheni Ridovhona

The 22-year-old Mbulaheni (Gary) Ridovhona has been passionate about journalism to the extent that he would buy himself a copy of weekly Univen students' newsletter, Our Voice. After reading, he would write stories about his rural village, Mamvuka, and submit them to the very newsletter for publication. His deep-rooted love for words and writing saw him register for a Bachelor of Arts in Media Studies at the University of Venda, and joined the Limpopo Mirror team in February 2016 as a journalism intern.

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