Correction: South Africa-Climber Dies story

JOHANNESBURG – In a story July 18 about a South African climber dying while trying to summit Mount Kilimanjaro, The Associated Press reported erroneously that the mountain is in Kenya. It is in Tanzania.

A corrected version of the story is below:

South African athlete dies while climbing Kilimanjaro

A South African trying to summit Mount Kilimanjaro to mark the Mandela Day holiday has died

By CARA ANNA

Associated Press

A South African trying to summit Tanzania’s Mount Kilimanjaro to mark Mandela Day has died.

A statement from the Nelson Mandela Foundation said details are “sketchy” but that it appeared Gugu Zulu had problems breathing early Monday as his group tried to reach Africa’s highest peak.

“We are informed that the medical teams tried everything possible to save his life” as they tried to descend, the statement said.

The foundation said the athlete was part of a Trek4Mandela team hoping to summit to mark Mandela’s birthday, a day of volunteer service in South Africa. Authorities said they were climbing in support of girls from disadvantaged communities.

In his last Facebook post, Gugu Zulu on Saturday said, “Am having flu like symptoms and struggling with the mountain but taking it step by step!! Today we managed to see our destination and our camp is literary above the clouds!!”

He was hiking with his wife, Letshego, who descended the 5,895-meter (19,340-foot) mountain with him, the foundation said.

South Africa’s sports ministry called Gugu Zulu a “great talented motorsport athlete who excelled on the race course.”

News from © The Associated Press, . All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Join the Conversation!

Want to share your thoughts, add context, or connect with others in your community?

The Associated Press

The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. More than half the world’s population sees AP journalism every day.