Johannesburg - A 44-year-old entrepreneur has not only ticked off a major bucket list item by climbing Kilimanjaro, but he has also done it for a great cause.
Tiisetjo Tleane, who runs a small IT business in Yeoville, Johannesburg called GaMaja, summited Kilimanjaro last week Friday after commencing the gruelling 5 895 metre climb six days earlier.
And to stand out from all scores of other climbers who summited Mount Kilimanjaro before him, the self-employed businessman reached the top of the highest mountain in Africa and the tallest freestanding mountain in the world wearing only a purple speedo.
Having run two Hollard Daredevil Runs already, Tleane joined the group climbing Kilimanjaro to raise awareness about cancer, specifically prostate and testicular cancer.
He explained that his choice of attire was the only clothing item that could speak volumes, and would send a stronger message than any social media post could.
“It was freezing, and I had to take off layers of clothing for these photos,” he said.
“For us to summit, we started hiking at 11pm with temperatures so low that the water bottles in our backpacks froze”.
Tleane added that he will put the purple speedo on again when the Hollard Daredevil Run is back later this year.
Meanwhile, this week saw Hollard hand over the proceeds from the 2022 Hollard Daredevil Run, which Tleane also participated in, and celebrated the brave men who ran through the streets of South Africa in purple speedos to make a difference.
In total, R 700 000 was raided, the most ever raised by this event. The funds have been donated to The Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA) as well as the Prostate Cancer Foundation. All the money will go towards increased awareness and screening of prostate and testicular cancer.