In March, Evadnee Le Goff and Anita Musevenzo became the first all-women team to summit the highest mountains in South Africa’s nine provinces. In the rain, in the dark, in the freezing cold on those raw, rugged mountains, the two navigated treacherous terrain but stuck together.



ENDURANCE LESSONS ALWAYS go a long way in business – and in life.



And sometimes, you go beyond the boardrooms to find them.



South Africa’s Anita Musevenzo and Evadnee Le Goff found them on the peaks of the highest mountains in the country’s nine provinces, summitted all in one go.



And yet another high point of the 9 Peaks Challenge?



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They are the first all-female team to do so.



The mountains they summited were: the Iron Crown in Limpopo, De Berg in Mpumalanga, Nooitgedacht in the North West, Toringkop in Gauteng, Mafadi in KwaZulu-Natal, Namahadi in the Free State, KwaDuma in the Eastern Cape, Murch Point in the Northern Cape, and Seweweekspoort in the Western Cape.



Le Goff, an accountant in Johannesburg, has always been a hiker, whereas Musevenzo, a skincare formulator, has been hiking for six years, with a YouTube channel called ‘African Hiker’.



But more challenging than the mountain adventure was the training ahead of it, which included hours in the gym, walks during the week and hikes on the weekends on South Africa’s blessed and most times, tough terrain.



The training was intense.



“Anita and I cut our teeth on wilderness hiking. So all our experience is in dealing with awkward terrain that’s rocky. And you know, every footstep, you’re not sure where you’re landing and it stood us in good stead,” says Le Goff. Musevenzo describes the drama at Mafadi, a peak on the border of South Africa and Lesotho.



They slept on the escarpment because they didn’t get down before dark.



“So we get to the summit at about three o’clock in the afternoon. And now we’re hiking back. All is good. But the sun is setting and the sun sets fast on the mountain. It’s just dark suddenly.”



They came across a cliff they had not seen in the daylight, and the wind started picking up speed, eventually going up to 50 knots. They began hiking towards the pass.



“We arrive at the pass and we look down and it’s pitch black. And so I just thought to myself ‘nope, not happening, not going down there’,” she says.



At this point, Le Goff posits that either they get down the mountain or die of hypothermia. Musevenzo set off as cheerily as one could to find some reeds to settle in for the night and ward off the wind.



They used their backpacks to sleep on the damp grass, share a protein bar and settled down around 10PM. A survival blanket was the only thing they had to keep warm.



They waited for first light, periodically checking on each other, and set off in the morning again.



Together, they traversed the country and up its mountains as everyone else carried on with their daily lives. For them, each day was different as it unfolded new views and vistas about life.



“Some of it was also quite tragic, because there are sections in our country, especially the Eastern Cape, where I was really affected by the poverty and the social problems,” says Le Goff.



The duo also savored some beautiful moments; from taking in the variety of animal footprints on the river beds in the Northern Cape, to the locust swarms, the dusty back roads, as well as the two leopards they spotted.



At sunrise one morning, a kudu ran in front of their car.



Musevenzo says one of the best parts was the friendly community at the Drakensburg and the magical feeling of the whole area.



“We all know that the country is very diverse. But to see it all in one go and just see the change as you go from province to province, and also how the mountain changes even the Drakensberg; there are three provinces where the peak is on the Drakensburg, and all three of those are different,” she explains.



A particularly difficult moment for Le Goff was encountering the chain ladders at Tugela Falls.



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/20220328_084224-1-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-55661" width="553" height="415" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/20220328_084224-1-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/20220328_084224-1-300x225.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/20220328_084224-1-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/20220328_084224-1-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/20220328_084224-1-2048x1536.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 553px) 100vw, 553px" /></figure></div>



“There weren’t any moments where I felt overwhelmed. There were one or two, I’d say, going down the chain ladders, in the dark, in the rain, I think it was challenging for Anita as well, because I was definitely very reluctant. I was trying to negotiate my way out of something which was unavoidable. “We had no other way to get off this mountain. And I’m not a huge fan of those chain ladders, because they are really treacherous,” Le Goff says.



Musenvenzo distracted her by telling her stories about her goldfish. She distracted her on the way up by telling her the story of how the tortoise got its shell. 



They took turns looking after each other throughout the journey. One of the most challenging peaks was Seweweekspoort in the Western Cape. It was their last one. It was also one of Le Goff’s most memorable, for the raw ruggedness of the landscape.



“We were already so exhausted, and the terrain is very difficult. By then, we were physically and mentally so drained, it’s just a really rough climb to finish on,” says Le Goff.



“That would be the most challenging one for me too. I did not really enjoy Seweweekspoort. The mountain has teeth, and claws and nails,” adds Musevenzo.



The duo was supported by DecathlonSA, Garmin, Entsika Consulting, forever.fresh.foods and Racefood. After eight days, 22 hours and 42 minutes to complete the entire adventure, the women came home to Johannesburg with sore feet, but with full hearts and memories to last a lifetime – creating history along the way, one tough, treacherous peak at a time.

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Through Peaks and Troughs: Meet The First All-Women Team To Summit The Highest Mountains in South Africa’s Nine Provinces

Extreme weather events are on the rise due to climate change. Parts of southern Africa were recently ravaged by a tropical storm that tore through homes and lives and displaced thousands. Some accounts from those affected.



By Lillian Roberts 



<h1 class="wp-block-heading" id="topline">Topline</h1>



Tropical storm Ana hit Madagascar on January 22, proceeding to Mozambique by January 24, leaving a trail of destruction in Malawi and Uganda as well, with a rising death toll of 88 people, Reuters reports.



<h1 class="wp-block-heading" id="key-facts">Key Facts</h1>



Fifty-one people have died in Madagascar, after floods and landslides. In Malawi, the death toll has risen to 33 with 20 missing, the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA) says, with currently 1,277 injured. Eighteen people have been reported dead so far in Mozambique, while in Uganda, another nine people have been reported dead.



Heavy rainfalls are affecting Zambia and Zimbabwe as a result of the weakening tropical storm. Parts of Zambia and Zimbabwe are flooded.



<h1 class="wp-block-heading" id="background">Background</h1>



Mike Aldworth, Managing Director of FES, a company doing across-the-board mechanizing of agriculture, irrigation and construction in Malawi and Zambia, was on-site in Malawi after the floods.



FES also operates drones in Malawi, using the drones currently to assess the soil erosion and damage done by the flooding.



Aldworth says there were many factors leading to the flooding, though such natural events are not unusual because of the yearly belt of rain.



South west of Malawi’s city Blantyre, the Shire River enters its final phase before leaving Malawi, joining the great Zambezi in Mozambique. The river descends to the lower valley through rapids and waterfalls before broadening out along a wide floodplain, used by sugar plantations. These are Malawi’s lowest areas. Access to the Lower Shire valley is along the M1 south of Blantyre and down the steep Thyolo Escarpment.



Deforestation is an issue, as local subsistence farmers use every bit of land they can next to the river, leading to no vegetation to slow water, Aldworth reports. The dry season is roughly from mid-March to mid-October, and in summer’s rainy months, Aldworth says temperatures can reach the mid-40s (celsius) on the floodplain.



“It’s a hostile environment, with malaria in summer, and difficult living conditions. People take any opportunity to get better soil. If you interviewed anyone, they are likely to say it’s worth the risk,” Aldworth says.



The flooding recently broke through the Kapachira dam in Chikwawa district, breaking riverbanks and taking off parts of the road.



With the Kapichira Hydroelectric Power plant reportedly badly damaged by the floods, there are blackouts too in the country, affecting people and businesses indiscriminately.



“Around 350mm fell in one day, and all the water went down the escarpment into the valley. It was chaos,” Aldworth says.



Locals use home-made fired clay bricks to build houses – and Aldworth says houses have been washed away, not just in the valley – as a result of this.



“Down in the valley, it was bad. This is the third flood I’ve seen in the ten years I have lived in Malawi, but the most damage I have ever seen. The problem is it was a lot of water in a short space of time,” Aldworth says.



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-full is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/GettyImages-1238046914.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-54148" width="742" height="495" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/GettyImages-1238046914.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/GettyImages-1238046914-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/GettyImages-1238046914-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 742px) 100vw, 742px" /><figcaption>Residents stand in a flooded area. (Photo by RIJASOLO / AFP) (Photo by RIJASOLO/AFP via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



<hr class="wp-block-separator"/>



Sherifa Mia, a senior program manager of Gift of The Givers in Malawi, spoke to FORBES AFRICA after a disaster briefing with the Malawian government, the United Nations (UN) and various NGOs on February 1 in the aftermath of Ana.



The mood is optimistic as the ground is drying up, allowing aid operations to access previously inaccessible places, Mia says.



Lower Shire, the river valley in Chikwawa, Malawi, has been the worst affected, with 84,000 households impacted.



More than 20,000 families have been displaced and are now housed in camps, particularly in schools and churches. Mia says people are crammed in small spaces and schools can only host so many, as classes must continue.



Gift of The Givers was one of the first organizations on the ground, delivering food. “People hadn’t eaten for three days,” Mia says, adding that people have lost livestock, crops and their means of livelihood. The majority of Malawi depends on subsistence agriculture, she adds.



This week, the government, UN and NGOs such as Gift of The Givers are planning for the next three months to ensure citizens have food, homes and shelters.



They also focus on helping the traumatized. Mia says she encouraged staff to speak to people who are distressed to let them know they are not alone.



“Children are traumatized. One child said ‘now our school has turned into our home’,” Mia says.



Additionally, through a system called Village Civil Protection Committees, citizens are trained by the government to provide support in times of crisis.



Mia says there could be more people dead or missing in still inaccessible areas.



A truck got stuck in the mud, in Traditional Authority Nkanda, Mulanje district, while trying to deliver food to the 1,050 families living in camps, and was only removed at midnight.



“I called and gave them encouragement, as well as a day off to reboot and come back,” Mia says.



Overall, the plea is for food, and as much help as possible.



“A lady with six children who lost everything and had not eaten in days was relieved when we brought food. Her children were not going to school because they had not eaten, and now they can go to school.”



<h1 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tangent">Tangent</h1>



Climate activist Edwin Namakanga in Kampala, Uganda, moved to the city with his family, due to land that was difficult to farm, and also the frequent floods and landslides in Eastern Uganda, in Bududa, his hometown.



Namakanga says people normally return after an extreme weather event, because of the legacy of land.



Flooding within the city is an issue, with uncovered drainage systems posing a risk for human lives. People in informal settlements raise their beds during heavy rains. After the rains subside, they use basins to remove the water.



In 2020, Namakanga saw boys playing soccer outside in the rain. One boy’s rubber sandal slipped off, falling into an open trench of water.



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/GettyImages-1238046527.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-54147" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/GettyImages-1238046527.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/GettyImages-1238046527-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/GettyImages-1238046527-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption>Around 1,000 disaster victims are welcomed in the school (Photo by RIJASOLO/AFP via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



“The water looks calm, but it is dangerous,” Namakanga says.



The boy jumped in, and was swept away. The other children called the adults, but by the time they had followed his course and found him by the wire mesh that stops rubbish, he had drowned.



Namakanga is involved in climate change awareness and mitigation projects; the RISE movement, planting trees to help mitigate the impact of deforestation, and empowering young women with financial literacy, clothes and sowing skills. He recently met with Greta Thunberg and attended the last UN climate change conference.



“You’ll find it is women and girls who are the most vulnerable in the climate crisis. The little we can do, we try and reach out,” Namakanga says.



Community clean-ups, putting pressure on people in power, proper drainage systems and educating community leaders on the climate crisis are some of the suggestions Namakanga has for adapting to climate change.



Western Uganda and Lake Victoria were recently affected by tropical storm Ana, displacing people at the slopes of Mount Rwenzori, and the fisherman who live at the shores of Lake Victoria, says Namakanga.



“You can’t even see the beaches at Lake Victoria anymore,” he adds.

Tag: Lillian Roberts

FORBES AFRICA SOCIAL MEDIA

Through Peaks and Troughs: Meet The First All-Women Team To Summit The Highest Mountains in South Africa’s Nine Provinces

‘The Most Damage I Have Ever Seen’: The Aftermath Of Tropical Storm Ana In Southern Africa