Trek4Mandela climbers begin Mount Kilimanjaro ascent

Trek4Mandela climbers have begun their challenging ascent of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. This year’s expedition includes a group of young South Africans determined to make a difference in their communities.

The annual initiative raises funds to provide sanitary towels to vulnerable girls across Africa. Led by the Imbumba Foundation, Trek4Mandela, is expanding its outreach programmes across the continent.

Thirteen-year-old Zanokuhle Makwakwa says reaching Africa’s highest peak is about proving that young people can inspire change and achieve the extraordinary.

“The reason I am doing this is very personal because I am a teenager myself, and I experience all the emotions that come with existing as a teenage girl, and trying to navigate those emotions, or trying to understand the changes that are happening in your body, and understand it with dignity. With that said, I also don’t think it is okay to miss out on our right to education because of something as natural as menstruation.”

VISUALS | Excitement builds as Trek4Mandela climbers and porters get ready to start summiting Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania on Wednesday from Marangu Gate. They’re welcomed by SA Ambassador Noluthando Mayende-Sibiya.

Credit: Maria Mothupi pic.twitter.com/sY6dUVB2bA

— SABC News (@SABCNews) July 14, 2026