Sibusiso Vilane
Encyclopedia
Sibusiso Vilane is a South Africa
n mountaineer and motivational speaker.
He married his wife Nomsa in 1995 and is the father of three children - two girls and a boy.
and began his career as a game ranger at Malolotja Nature Reserve
in 1993.
In 2001 he decided to broaden his horizons and joined Conservation Corporation Africa's Bongani Mountain Lodge, where he was working as a game ranger up until October 2005. However due to his passion for adventure, he opted to leave Bongani Mountain Lodge and pursue his new found dream of a more challenging lifestyle.
While ranging in Swaziland in 1996, he met John Doble, who would turn out to be a great friend and benefactor, and who was instrumental in finding the necessary sponsorship for Sibusiso's Everest summit expedition.
Sibusiso started climbing in 1996, successfully summiting Cathedral Peak
, Mont-aux-Sources
, Sterk Horn and Cleft Peak
, all in the Drakensberg
. In 1999 he summited Mount Kilimanjaro
and went on to the Himalayas
in 2002, successfully climbing Pokalde
, Lobujé and Island Peak, as part of his training for the Everest expedition.
On that day, President Thabo Mbeki
congratulated him on his achievement and grit. “In this, he has shown the heights we can all scale in life if we put our shoulder to the wheel and work at things without flagging.” Sibusiso, you have done us proud!
. He summited successfully on May 26, 2003. Vilane climbed Everest again in 2005, this time on the north side. Since this climb, Vilane has completed all Seven Summits.
which, when they completed the expedition on 17 January 2008, made Vilane and Harris the first South Africans to walk to the South Pole, and Vilane the black person to do so.
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n mountaineer and motivational speaker.
He married his wife Nomsa in 1995 and is the father of three children - two girls and a boy.
Career
Sibusiso completed his O levels at the Mater Dolorosa school in SwazilandSwaziland
Swaziland, officially the Kingdom of Swaziland , and sometimes called Ngwane or Swatini, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa, bordered to the north, south and west by South Africa, and to the east by Mozambique...
and began his career as a game ranger at Malolotja Nature Reserve
Malolotja Nature Reserve
Malolotja Nature Reserve covers 4,447 acres of mountain wilderness on Swaziland's north western border with South Africa. The park includes Ngwenya Mountain, Swaziland's second highest mountain , and Malolotja Falls which drop 292 feet , the highest in Swaziland...
in 1993.
In 2001 he decided to broaden his horizons and joined Conservation Corporation Africa's Bongani Mountain Lodge, where he was working as a game ranger up until October 2005. However due to his passion for adventure, he opted to leave Bongani Mountain Lodge and pursue his new found dream of a more challenging lifestyle.
While ranging in Swaziland in 1996, he met John Doble, who would turn out to be a great friend and benefactor, and who was instrumental in finding the necessary sponsorship for Sibusiso's Everest summit expedition.
Sibusiso started climbing in 1996, successfully summiting Cathedral Peak
Cathedral Peak
Cathedral Peak may be any of several mountains, typically those with steep sides and towers reminiscent of a cathedral. In the United States alone, the USGS identifies 17 summits named "Cathedral Peak":In other countries:...
, Mont-aux-Sources
Mont-Aux-Sources
Mont-aux-Sources is a mountain range in Africa, forming one of the highest portions of the Drakensberg. A sheer wall of 1,000 vertical ft., known as the Sentinel, can be found here. A basalt plateau which lies at an elevation of about 10,000 feet , it is mostly within Lesotho.Mont-Aux Sources was...
, Sterk Horn and Cleft Peak
Cleft Peak
Murpheys Bluff is a mountain in South West Tasmania. It lies on the North West end of the Frankland Range jutting out towards the East from the range towards the impoundment Lake Pedder. It is South East of Murpheys Bluff and North West of Greycap....
, all in the Drakensberg
Drakensberg
The Drakensberg is the highest mountain range in Southern Africa, rising to in height. In Zulu, it is referred to as uKhahlamba , and in Sesotho as Maluti...
. In 1999 he summited Mount Kilimanjaro
Mount Kilimanjaro
Kilimanjaro, with its three volcanic cones, Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira, is a dormant volcano in Kilimanjaro National Park, Tanzania and the highest mountain in Africa at above sea level .-Geology:...
and went on to the Himalayas
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
in 2002, successfully climbing Pokalde
Pokalde
Pokalde Peak is a mountain peak of Nepal situated 12 km southwest of Mount Everest. Pokalde Peak is one of the shortest and easiest trekking peaks in the Everest Region...
, Lobujé and Island Peak, as part of his training for the Everest expedition.
On that day, President Thabo Mbeki
Thabo Mbeki
Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki is a South African politician who served two terms as the second post-apartheid President of South Africa from 14 June 1999 to 24 September 2008. He is also the brother of Moeletsi Mbeki...
congratulated him on his achievement and grit. “In this, he has shown the heights we can all scale in life if we put our shoulder to the wheel and work at things without flagging.” Sibusiso, you have done us proud!
Records
In 2003 Vilane set off for the Himalayas in his quest to become the first black African to summit Mount EverestMount Everest
Mount Everest is the world's highest mountain, with a peak at above sea level. It is located in the Mahalangur section of the Himalayas. The international boundary runs across the precise summit point...
. He summited successfully on May 26, 2003. Vilane climbed Everest again in 2005, this time on the north side. Since this climb, Vilane has completed all Seven Summits.
Current expeditions
In late 2007 Vilane and fellow mountaineer, Alex Harris, embarked on an unsupported and unassisted trek to reach the South PoleSouth Pole
The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole or Terrestrial South Pole, is one of the two points where the Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on the surface of the Earth and lies on the opposite side of the Earth from the North Pole...
which, when they completed the expedition on 17 January 2008, made Vilane and Harris the first South Africans to walk to the South Pole, and Vilane the black person to do so.