Bob Mabena recounts his own altitude sickness ordeal

Following the death of his close friend Gugu Zulu on Monday, radio personality Bob Mabena has highlighted the dangers of altitude sickness which also saw him being hospitalised in May.

Mabena took to Instagram, only hours after news of Zulu's death, to post a picture of himself in hospital suffering from altitude sickness.

Altitude sickness can b fatal. Barely survived after developing flu-like symptoms & breathing difficult  in the Alps pic.twitter.com/RdSvHDxxRy

— TheJammer (@bob959) July 18, 2016

Gugu passed away while attempting to climb Mount Kilimanjaro as part of the Trek4Mandela expedition. He was taken to hospital after his breathing become heavy and died in the early hours of Monday morning.

• Tragedy on Mount Kilimanjaro - what we know so farSouth African race car driver Gugu Zulu’s death was confirmed on Monday. He had been climbing Mount Kilimanjaro with his wife Letshego and a Trek4Mandela team for International Nelson Mandela Day. 

Although the exact cause of Zulu's death is yet to be established, the Nelson Mandela Foundation confirmed the rally driver had been complaining of flu-like symptoms. It's a condition similar to that suffered by Mabena when he attempted to climb the French Alps back in May.

• BREAKING: Gugu Zulu has died while climbing KilimanjaroThe Nelson Mandela Foundation has confirmed that race car driver Gugu Zulu died while attempting to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. 

Mabena explained that during that time, he developed altitude sickness after suffering from flu-like symptoms.

"You get to a stage where you don't have the strength to actually breathe. Walking a mere two steps feels like a steep climb, he wrote.

• Gugu Zulu's wife 'at his side for his final moments'The founder of the Imbumba Foundation has described the final moments of Gugu Zulu's life, saying his wife Letshego 'did everything for him' in his final moments. 

Mabena says that he knew something was wrong when he started hallucinating and coughing up water. He was rushed down the mountain for "about an hours drive" to hospital where he received treatment.

He thanked his doctors for being pedantic enough to constantly monitor him, before highlighting how fatal the condition can be.

• Gugu Zulu ‘should have turned back’‚ experts sayGugu Zulu should not have continued his attempt to summit Mount Kilimanjaro after complaining of having flu-like symptoms. 

"It can be fatal and had I spent a few more minutes in that altitude I definitely wouldn't be here posting this message," he wrote.

Reflecting on Zulu's death, Mabena revealed that he was so shocked at the news that he parked at a petrol station, shaking.

"I know how it felt. (It is) the scar(iest) feeling ever," he added.