- Sibusiso Vilane
Sibusiso Vilane (born December 1, 1970, Schoemansdal, Mpumalanga) is a South Africa mountaineer and motivational speaker.
He married his wife Nomsa in 1995 and is the proud father of three children - two girls and a boy.
Career
Sibusiso completed his O levels at the Mater Dolorosa school in
Swaziland and began his career as a game ranger atMalolotja 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 andCleft Peak , all in theDrakensberg . In 1999 he summitedMount Kilimanjaro and went on to theHimalayas in 2002, successfully climbingPokalde ,Lobujé andIsland 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!Records
In March 2003, Sibusiso set off for the Himalayas again in his quest to be the first black African to summit
Mount Everest , which he summited successfully on May 26, 2003, becoming the first black African to summit Everest.Current expeditions
Vilane and fellow mountaineer, Alex Harris, have embarked on a trek to reach the
South Pole , which if successful, would make Vilane and Harris the first South Africans to reach the South Pole.External links
* [http://www.sibusisovilane.co.za/ Official website]
* [http://www.freeplayfoundation.org/ Freeplay Foundation]
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