In a first, of its kind, A South African business executive climbed the lofty heights of Mount Everest recently. Incidentally, it was the first time the summit of the world’s highest mountain was conquered by a black African woman. Saray Khumalo, aged, 47, is an avid mountaineer and her effort to reach the top of the 8,848-metre (29,029 foot) mountain was a failure three times on account of the inclement weather and other reasons. Nepal’s Tourism Department confirmed the news about her achievement but said that it did not have the record to verify whether she is the first black women to get to the top of the mountain revered by the locals as the abode of the Gods and Goddesses. As latest as in 2017, strong winds coupled with frostbite forced Khumalo to abandon the effort midway. Earlier to that, in 2015 her expedition was cancelled after an earthquake hit Nepal. In 2003, South African park ranger Sibusiso Vilane became the first black person to reach the summit of Mount Everest. Khumalo uses her expeditions to raise funds for philanthropic activities, such as setting up libraries and to support children’s educational activities. Mountaineers flock every year to Nepal, which is home to eight of the world’s 14 highest peaks — creating a lucrative mountain industry for the impoverished nation.
