The Nelson Mandela Foundation has released a statement saying that South African motorsport star Gugu Zulu has passed away while climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.
Zulu and his wife Letshego were part of the Trek4Mandela expedition, which was due to summit Kilimanjaro on Mandela Day.
“It is with a heavy heart that we announce that one of the climbers on the Trek4Mandela, Gugu Zulu, lost his life early this morning in his attempt to summit Kilimanjaro,” the statement read.
“Details are sketchy. What we do know is that Gugu experienced problems breathing. The medical team supporting the trek put him on a drip and they descended the mountain with him.
“We are informed that the medical teams tried everything possible to save his life,” the foundation added.
Sello Hatang, CEO of the Nelson Mandela Foundation, added his condolences.
“I am devastated. I knew him well. I recruited him to climb Kilimanjaro. The last thing he said to me at the airport before he left last week was that he wanted to speak about doing other Mandela Day projects. I feel a huge sense of loss,” said Hatang.
Zulu was a South African racing driver who has competed across numerous disciplines, most notably rally. Born in 1978 in Soweto, he was set to take part in this year’s inaugural GTC series for Volkswagen.
Zulu leaves behind his wife and a one-year-old daughter, Lelethu.
His final Facebook post (via Instagram) can be seen below.
