SA adventurer conquers harsh triple challenge

BRAVING freezing temperatures and trekking through snow-covered terrain, Sibusiso Vilane has achieved the rare feat of conquering the Three Poles Challenge.

He reached the North Pole on Wednesday after having also conquered the South Pole and Mount Everest.

The 41-year-old father of four from Nelspruit in Mpumalanga was brimming with excitement when he spoke to the Sunday Times via satellite phone after his achievement.

He said he was proud of becoming the first black person in the world to complete the challenge, adding that it sent a message of hope to others.

"I would love to see other South Africans follow in my footsteps," he said. ''When you look at the beautiful horizon, it just disappears, and there's nothing beyond. It's amazing."

Pulling a 50kg sled, Vilane trekked for 10 hours a day in sub-zero temperatures.

The trip was sponsored by Virgin Money Insurance. Its founder, billionaire Richard Branson, wished him luck in a letter and wrote: ''From such humble beginnings, you have indeed reached great heights, and I have no doubt that you will continue to be a source of inspiration for many in the future."

When he heard Branson had written to him, he said: ''I almost cried, but couldn't because my eyelashes would freeze."

With a small team of just five, Vilane, the only South African on the expedition, said: ''My legs are still young and full of energy. There's a 64-year-old on this team, and I wonder if I'll be doing this when I'm 64."

He said the journey was much more difficult than the South Pole expedition, which he completed in 2008.

''It's like an ice jungle. I had to drag the sled. It was torture."

A father of three daughters and a son, he said his family was extremely supportive. His wife, Nomsa, runs marathons and sometimes even beats him.

''I think they feel my inspiration, so they are able to face their own challenges so they can succeed. In a way, I feel like I've instilled that culture in my children and I'm very grateful for that."

His dream is for every member of his family to climb Kilimanjaro, which he first climbed in 1999.

''I climbed with my eldest daughter about a year and a half ago and she loved it."

Vilane was born at Shongwe Mission in Mpumalanga, but moved to Swaziland when he was four. The only son of a struggling single mother, he was forced to work as a cattle herder at the age of seven to help her. He managed to attend school only when he was 10.

Author of To the Top from Nowhere, Vilane, who is also a motivational speaker, wants to inspire others to great heights.

''I am grateful to everybody who has been behind me and supported me. I hope I inspire some of them to follow their dreams, but they must also believe they can achieve anything in their own lives, " he said.