Moshi, Tanzania - Six weeks ago, renowned racing driver Gugu Zulu was excited about the prospect of conquering Mt Kilimanjaro for the first time.
He was well aware of the physical toll it takes to climb the highest mountain in Africa, but he wasn’t perturbed. There was an extra motivation for Zulu and his wife Letshego to summit the mountain - contributing to a selfless cause, an ideal espoused by the man they were honouring through the climb, Nelson Mandela.
“We are probably the fittest among the climbers even though we have never climbed a mountain before. The higher you go, the more susceptible you are to altitude sickness. If you slow down and let your body catch up, you can recover,” Zulu said, speaking to The Star’s sister paper, the African Independent, in the run-up to Trek4Mandela.
The initiative was aimed at raising funds in support of the Caring4Girls sanitary pad distribution programme to more than 350 000 underprivileged girls. But early on Monday, on the day the country celebrated Madiba’s legacy of selfless giving - Zulu died trying to conquer Kilimanjaro.
In the weeks leading up to the climb, Zulu had been upbeat, taking to social media to let his followers track his progress up the mountain. His last Facebook post on July 16 partly read: “Made it through day 2. My wife is doing fabulous, she has even learnt the local language.
“Am having flu-like symptoms and struggling with the mountain but taking it step by step! Today we managed to see our destination and our camp is literary (sic) above the clouds.”
Doctors said they were still determining the official cause of Zulu's death.
At base camp on Sunday night, Zulu had been breathing very loudly and when the group's doctor was called into the room, he suspected it was meningitis and said that Zulu had to be taken to the hospital immediately.
Physical challenges of climbing
Richard Mabaso, the founder of Caring4Girls, an organisation that distributes sanitary towels to underprivileged girls, explained the physical hurdles climbing the mountain.
“There are always people with symptoms when you get to base camp. Whether it’s nausea or headaches - we always drink water and take other precautions. But some things are going to happen regardless.”
Mabaso said a devastated Letshego was resting. He recalled the tender last hours the self-labelled “Adventure Couple”, who had been together for over 15 years - spent together. “She was amazing - she was always by his side when they took him down.”
In Instagram posts before the climb, Letshego posted a picture with the now eerie words, “Mountains are calling and I must go”, with a backdrop of a mountain with pockets of snow.
Zulu, 38, is survived by his wife and one year-old daughter, Lelethu.
In the end he didn't die racing, but climbing
And we're off!! #AdventureCouple #KiliFit #Kilimanjaro #Caring4Girls #Trek4Mandela
A photo posted by Letshego Zulu (@letshegozulu) on Jul 13, 2016 at 3:21am PDT
Gugu Zulu was the picture of success: a man who defied social and economic barriers to become a seasoned racing driver and administrator, so it wasn’t surprising that the news of his death sent shock waves throughout the country and the world.
Pictures on Letshego’s Instagram account give the impression of a happy, fit and adventurous couple. They gymmed, cycled and swam together.
Zulu wasn't new to physically demanding challenges, having competed in the Cape Epic mountain bike race and the Comrades and Two Oceans marathons.
Dubbed “the fastest brother in Africa”, he started his racing career in 1999, after he graduated from the Vodacom Isondo Sports 2000 national championship.
In 2001, former rally and racing driver Sarel van der Merwe offered him the second seat in the inaugural Sasol Steam Team.
A highlight of Zulu's career was working as a driving instructor at Volkswagen, Audi and BMW.
He also boasts a Guinness Achievement Award and WesBank and Goodyear Star of Tomorrow awards, which he won in 2001.
He enjoyed some international exposure, having raced overseas in the Skip Barber Dodge Racing Series in 2004.
Zulu featured as a stunt driver in the movie Lord of War about the illegal arms trade and starring Nicolas Cage.
In 2005, and for three years after that, he enjoyed a stint presenting the now discontinued SABC3 car show Car Torque.
He also served as a commercial manager for the South African A1 team in 2007.
Zulu owned GAS Sports, which promotes motorsport events.
The Star