Saray Khumalo - My Journey to the Top of the World: And the life lessons I learnt along the way

My Journey to the Top of the World

Published by Penguin Books
an imprint of Penguin Random House (Pty) Ltd
Company Reg. No. 1953/000441/07
The Estuaries No. 4, Oxbow Crescent, Century Avenue, Century City, Cape Town, 7441
www.penguinrandomhouse.co.za

First published 2022

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Publication Penguin Books 2022
Text Saray Khumalo 2022

Cover image by Thamsanqa Khethe/Thami Pty Ltd
Cover image Saray Khumalo

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright owners.

ISBN 978 1 77609 598 8 (print)
ISBN 978 1 77609 599 5 (ePub)

This book is dedicated to all the daughters and sons of the African soil who dare to dream. It is a reminder that it doesnt matter where you start, what you look like, what happened yesterday, whats happening this moment or what the world believes of you, you are enough, and your dream yes, those dreams are vali d ! #Dare2dream #Nevergiveup #Summitmindset #Ubuntu

The author has put many months of work into researching and writing this book. This ebook is NOT free, and should be bought from an ebook retailer. If you are circulating it for free, you are breaking the law and can be prosecuted under the Copyright Act 98 of 1979.

Acknowledgements

My appreciation starts with God, who is all-knowing and has been a constant presence on my journey.

Thanks to my grandparents, Susan Mukandinda (Mama) and Pastor Nassan Habiyambere Kayumba (Papa), who introduced me to God and gave me a social conscience to serve. I am because you were. Ndamikumbuye .

To my mother, Ellen Nathan Kangwa, thanks for planting the I can do anything seed, and to her sisters Tabeth Mbanga and Dr Martha Bupe Habiyambere for being secondary mothers always. It indeed took a village.

To my sisters, Uwimana Florence, Susan, Nadine, Diana, Vayness and Mireille, you continue to be my rock and foundation. Love you always. A special mention to Nadine Kangwa (Coco), who believed in the historic summit and walked with me in prayer all the way there and back. You will always be my sunshine, BaGelo!

To my dear sons, Azinkosi Gxuliso Khumalo and Ocacile Khumalo, you are my greatest achievements. Thanks for your patience, unconditional love and support always. You inspire me to continue rising above the clouds. I pray that God grants you the wisdom to be the leaders of self first and to lean into your strengths as you head for your respective summits.

Lwazi Ngwenya, I walked with your picture in my backpack all the way to the top of the world to finish what we started in 2013. Thanks for believing that I could, cause I did!

Ngwenya, Mntimande, Bambolunye, Zingaba mbili, Zifuze konini, Ekhabonina, Mabuya, Emangwaneni, Bayosala beziloyanisa.

To my hiking and adventure tribe that has walked with me since 2012, and the many more that have joined since, thanks for allowing me space on trails less travelled to find Saray.

Noel Hanna. Captain, my captain. Thank you for your guidance and support, you will always be my Irish Sherpa!

To the Sherpas that crossed my path, supported me along the way and allowed me to learn, you are the unsung heroes of Everest.

Vaimo through Kevin Clarke and Tourvest, thank you for investing in my journey and taking a risk on me in 2019 to make the historic summit on 16 May a reality.

To the Mandela Libraries Project team, Dr Thandi Ndlovu and her foundation, thanks for allowing me to make a small contribution to the amazing work that your organisations continue to do by servicing the next generation through education.

To Lianne Williams, thank you for building libraries with me and believing in my projects as an executive at VUMA. You may not have physically climbed Everest with me but your belief in me gave me the push that I needed when the going got tough. I cannot wait to climb Kilimanjaro and continue to change the world with you.

To Delia Chetty, Celiwe and Victor Moyo, your support and belief in my work made a difference. I appreciate you.

To Kate Sidley, a special thanks for all your help in making this book a reality. Your patience and guidance were invaluable.

To Momentum Metropolitan Holdings, thank you for being an enabling employer and partner on my journey to success.

To the people I have led and those whom I have followed, you are my heroes and heroines. Thank you for reminding me that we are all uniquely extraordinary, and that being ordinary is indeed a choice!

Prologue

In August 2016, Momentum was the title sponsor of the Tour of Legends, a three-day, staged mountain-bike race, through the Limpopo bush. Despite my hours in the bike park, I wasnt very experienced at highly technical mountain biking. On the first day, my teammate Jennifer and I did about 50 kilometres. It went quite well. On the second day, I reached the top of a mountain a bit ahead of her, and she said, You go ahead, Ill find you.

I remember being at the top and looking down the sharp drop, thinking, This is too steep I breathed in and breathed out, staring down that dirt track with its bits of concrete. I thought of Nicole, my instructor, and what she would say: Squat, be steady and go.

So I squatted and pushed off down the mountain, but somehow, I lost control. I tried to brake, but I couldnt balance the brakes. The back brakes didnt hold, but the front brakes took, flipping me over. I flew over the front of the bike, smashing into the ground with such force that my helmet split. I cracked my head and was knocked out.

I remember only flashes of what happened next blood, pain, anxious faces, someone asking me about medical aid. In and out of consciousness, I was airlifted to Milpark Hospital with a serious head injury and extensive damage to my face the doctors feared that I might lose my right eye and a badly broken arm. My injuries were so bad that my family from Zambia and my sister from the UK came to South Africa to be with me.

I was in a coma for two weeks. During that time, I didnt know that I was in hospital. In my unconscious state, I imagined that I was being held hostage. I had a horrible, panicky feeling that I needed to wake up because no one was looking after my kids, who needed me. It was very scary.

So, I fought to wake up from that coma. As I began to regain consciousness, I pulled out my tubes and drips. When I came fully to, I had to apologise to a nurse whom I had hit when I was in my confused and panicked state. I couldnt speak, but I wrote garbled notes to my aunt on her phone, telling her to run away, she was in danger. When I woke up, I had no recollection of sending them. I spent a further week in ICU, and then high care.

When I was finally discharged and came home, my life was different. I was different. When I looked in the mirror, I saw an altered, damaged face, stitched together during multiple plastic surgeries. My smile was no longer familiar to me. It would take a long time for me to get used to my reflection and recognise my face as my own.