Johannesburg - The daughter of the late rally champion Gugu Zulu will grow up without a father, but she will one day be told his heroic story.
On Sunday, his mother Puleng Zulu told the employees of the Nelson Mandela Foundation and the Trek4Mandela expedition members that they should not feel responsible for Gugu’s death.
Gugu’s death was for a worthy cause, Puleng added.
The celebrated racing driver died while trying to summit Mount Kilimanjaro a week ago. The attempt was part of the Trek4Mandela expedition to raise money to buy sanitary pads for underprivileged girls.
“It is encouraging that you came to face us. I am happy that he (Gugu) did it for a good cause. We need to tell Lelethu the story. This must continue so that Lelethu can climb Kilimanjaro on our behalf one day,” said a calm Puleng.
“As the seed and the womb that carried that child, we do not blame anybody,” she added, as some members of the Trek4Mandela team, still shaken, listened intently.
They visited the family for the first time on Sunday to pay their last respects to Gugu. They sat quietly in the family's living room at Gugu's Sandton home, seldom consuming the coffee and scones that had been prepared for them.
Among the team members was couple Asogan and Samantha Pillay, who comforted each other while fighting back tears. They vowed that they would do the expedition again in Gugu’s honour.
“Gugu was honourable. We are here for the Zulu family and for what he represented,” said Asogan.
The sombre mood in the Zulu home appeared to ease when a relative walked into the living room carrying Lelethu. The bubbly child jumped up and down, smiling at the guests.
The little girl’s mother, Letshego, who appeared calm and composed, listened intently as the guests paid their tributes. Family, friends and members of the Trek4Mandela took turns embracing her.
Gugu’s father Peter hardly said a word. Gugu’s uncle Tshidiso Motloelwa reiterated the family’s stance that his death was nobody's fault.
“As far as the family are concerned, we are content. We have our God whom we believe in. We absolve all of you. This should not destroy (you). Sibusiso (Vilane, the expedition leader) must also know he is not God. If it was Gugu’s time to live, he would not have died.
“Gugu was super-fit; some of the people who were not that fit managed to summit. How you explain that, we say it is God’s time,” he added.
Nelson Mandela Foundation chief executive Sello Hatang said the organisation would highlight the importance of the work that Zulu did even beyond his death.
A memorial service will be held at the Kyalami race track on Tuesday. The funeral will take place at the Rhema Bible Church in Randburg on Thursday.