The symptoms that Gugu Zulu had are not unusual‚ the Trek4Mandela expedition doctor says. Dr Roxanne Schutte said Zulu had complained of having a scratchy throat on Thursday.Climbing hero Sibusiso Vilane in tears at Gugu Zulu’s deathExperienced mountaineer Sibusiso Vilane was emotional on his return to South Africa on Wednesday evening as he apologised to the nation for losing a climber on a trek he was leading in honour of International Nelson Mandela Day. She said she gave him medication and he later said he was feeling better.Sisters reunite after doomed charity climb on Mount Kilimanjaro"I have no words. I salute her‚" Tsholofelo Molefe said of her sister Tebogo Molefe who was part of the Trek4Mandela expedition. "On Sunday I asked him how he was feeling. He said he was feeling great. "He wasn't himself...He said he was ready to summit‚ but needed energy‚" she said.Later on Sunday‚ Zulu still complained of low energy.Schutte said she put him on a drip.Zulu vomited and complained of having nausea.After a three-hour rest for all climbers‚ the doctor said she heard a loud scream."I found him unconscious.He had raspy breath... He had a strong pulse."She said she gave him more ventilation."He was in a critical condition."Zulu died on Monday.Earlier this week‚ the Nelson Mandela Foundation said that after the medical team supporting the trek put him on a drip‚ they descended the mountain‚ doing everything possible to save his life.Dr Schutte said: "It (Gugu's death) was a shock.He had mild symptoms.These were not unusual symptoms"."Every speculation is just that. Speculation."Climbing experts told TMG Digital on Tuesday they suspect that Zulu could have succumbed to altitude sickness – although the cause of death is yet to be confirmed — also known as pulmonary oedema‚ which they say is a common cause of death on high mountains.“Any such [flu-like] symptoms are a cause for concern whilst at altitude‚” explained Justin Lawson‚ a mountain guide from Climbing ZA.“If you have symptoms of mild AMS (acute mountain sickness)‚ then you should not go any higher for 24 to 48 hours. If the symptoms do not improve or get worse‚ then you should descend immediately‚” he said.“… He should have turned around sooner. However‚ it should be noted that it is very common for climbers to get symptoms associated with acute mountain sickness at some point during their climb‚” said Adam Collins‚ expedition coordinator at Ultimate Kilimanjaro. “So it is really a question of what degree of acute mountain sickness Zulu experienced‚ and what was done to prevent‚ identify‚ and treat (it)”.A fellow climber‚ African Independent editor Jovial Rantao‚ writing in The Star newspaper on Tuesday‚ raised concerns about the level of care given to Zulu. He said: "Six men pushed (a bicycle stretcher) for 32km to the gate of Kilimanjaro National Park for close to four hours before Gugu could find help. The question is: Why does an international organisation like this have zero medical facilities‚ and no emergency evacuation plan?"..