This year saw South African Sibusiso Vilane reach the summit of Mount Everest - for the second time in 2 years. He became the first Black man to climb the world's highest peak twice and by two different routes. Sibusiso first reached the peak of Mount Everest in May 2003. The Birth to Twenty Research Programme is one of the organisations that stand to benefit from his 2nd climb. Based at the University of the Witwatersrand, Birth to Twenty is a grant-funded study that explores and documents socio-economic, socio-political, demographic and nutrition transition in South Africa and its impact on children and their families.
Another South African who reached the peak this year, was Cape Town businessman Tony van Marken (40). The father of Matthew (10) and Joshua (7) climbed Everest to raise awareness for The Children's Hospital Trust, the fundraising arm of The Red Cross Children's Hospital. Tony is an experienced climber who climbed Everest from the traditional south side, and has now completed his personal quest to climb the world's seven continental summits. He personally donated R1 for each metre of the maximum altitude he reached on the climb. The height of Everest is 8.850m.
Other successful South African climbers this year included Richmond MacIntyre (51) and Alex Harris. Richmond is a civil engineer from Hermanus and has climbed Kilimandjaro, the Ruwenzori mountains in Uganda, the Aconcagua in the Argentinian Andes, the Denali in Alaska and Cho Oyo in Tibet.
Alex Harris made it his 3rd Everest climb, with Sibusiso.
