South African national Saray Khumalo has reached the highest point on the planet to become the first black African woman to scale Mount Everest, according to press reports on Friday.
The business executive reportedly reached the summit in the early hours of Thursday. This was her fourth attempt at climbing Mount Everest, according to the reports.
In a previous attempt in May 2017, Khumalo had to be rescued from Mount Everest by helicopter after being injured during inclement weather while trying to reach the summit, the reports said.
Her previous attempts had been scuppered by an earthquake and an avalanche in Nepal, the reports added.
Born in Zambia with Rwandan roots but now a South African national, Khumalo has achieved her goal of becoming the first black woman from Africa to summit Mount Everest.
Mount Everest is the world’s highest mountain at its official elevation of 8,848 metres above sea level.
Sir Edmund Hillary and Nepalese Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay were the first people to reach the mountain’s summit on 29 May 1953.
Since then, some 800 people have attempted to climb Mount Everest annually, and more than 296 people have died trying to climb it.
NM/jn/APA