TANZANIA: There wasn't a dry eye in the dining hall of the Kilimanjaro Mountain Lodge on Tuesday night.
A distraught widow, a broken-hearted sister, and saddened South Africans who set out to conquer Mount Kilimanjaro while raising funds for sanitary towels for disadvantaged girls, all gathered to remember him.
Some had only met Gugu Zulu for the first time at OR Tambo International Airport when leaving for Tanzania a week earlier.
Others shared memories of how they had trained together on the Westcliff Stairs or in the Drakensberg in preparation.
There were those he had encouraged and challenged to take part in various sporting and adventurous activities, all with fond memories of Zulu.
However, it was words from his wife Letshego Zulu that left everyone in tears.
“We have been together for 15-and-a-half years and not once was he ever a reason for my tears.
"He made me smile and he was a gentleman to the very end,” said Letshego, who had done many adventurous activities with her husband over the years.
Kilimanjaro was just one of the bucket-list activities they had hoped to tick off on their list – but a key focus was on helping young girls who aren't as fortunate as their own daughter.
“I had a banner written ‘Adventure’,” said Letshego, breaking down in tears as Zulu's sister Luyanda consoled her, explaining that they had planned to hoist the banner on Uhuru peak.
“I'll definitely come back to summit this mountain and I'll have a better banner. That's what Gugs would have wanted,” she said, weeping.
Letshego, who has remained in Tanzania with Luyanda to arrange for the return of Zulu's body, recalled the last special moments with her husband, before sharing her favourite scripture in the Bible:
“To everything there is a season, and a time for every matter or purpose under heaven: A time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to pluck up what is planted.” – Ecclesiastes 3.