47-year-old business executive Saray Khumalo, who recently became the first black woman from Africa to summit Mount Everest, is expected back at Base Camp on Saturday, according to Jacaranda News.
It is reported that a close friend of Khumalo, Erika Gibson, checked in with Khumalo just before she was to embark on the treacherous Khumbu icefall.
ALSO READ: SA congratulates Saray Khumalo for scaling Everest
Born in Zambia, with a Rwandan bloodline and now a South African, Khumalo achieved her goal of becoming the first black woman from Africa to summit Mount Everest after four attempts.
On Friday, news broke that two of Khumalo’s teammates, Seamus Lawless and Ravi Thakar, had both perished during their descent.
Lawless, from Ireland, fell from an 8,300m high area known as the Balcony on Thursday, while India national Ravi Thakar died in his sleep on Thursday at Camp Four at an high altitude of 7,900m.
The search for Lawless has been called off.
A diagram of the climbers’ treacherous descent. Image: Facebook/Summit with a Purpose
It took Khumalo five days to summit the majestic mountain, making her one of 31 South Africans ever to achieve this.
You can follow Khumalo’s journey by clicking on her charity, Summits with a Purpose, on Facebook.
(Compiled by Nica Schreuder)
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