Zuko Tisani Reaches 7,000 Metres in Everest Bid to Raise Funds for Youth Development

Zuko Tisani.

He set out to conquer the world's highest mountain, raising funds for youth development and carrying the hopes of supporters back home. He reached 7,000 metres — nearly four-fifths of the way to Everest's 8,848.86-metre summit — before making the difficult decision to turn back.

Yet, in many ways, this may be the most important success story of Youth Month.

For Tisani, 33, Everest was never simply about standing on the highest point on Earth. It was about proving something much bigger: that young South Africans belong on the world's biggest stages and that courage is measured as much by perseverance as by achievement.

Climbing for something bigger

Tisani's expedition formed part of Summit with Zuko, an initiative that combined personal ambition with social impact.

The campaign raised funds and awareness for the South African Rugby Legends Association (SARLA), a non-profit organisation dedicated to creating educational opportunities for young South Africans while supporting former Springboks and provincial rugby players.

But long before he faced Everest's towering ice walls and oxygen-starved slopes, Tisani confronted another formidable obstacle.

He had to find $50,000 to fund the expedition.

The first mountain was financial

Like many entrepreneurs, Tisani quickly discovered that the biggest challenge often comes before the journey even begins.

He reached out to former Everest climbers for advice, hosted an art and whisky auction, secured personal loans and launched a crowdfunding campaign through Summit with Zuko, inviting South Africans to become part of his dream.

The campaign didn't raise the full amount needed. It raised enough. Enough to reach Nepal. Enough to begin.

Looking back, Tisani believes that once he committed to taking the first step, circumstances began aligning in unexpected ways.

"Arriving to trek to Everest Base Camp felt like mini episodes," he reflects. "Each town along the way provided the next piece I needed to put my summit together."

For many young entrepreneurs, it is a familiar lesson. Perfect conditions rarely arrive. Progress often belongs to those willing to begin before everything is in place.

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Alone on the world's highest mountain

On 26 May 2026, Tisani arrived at Everest Base Camp by helicopter after being collected from a remote village in the Nepalese Himalayas.

He immediately realised something striking. He was the only Black person in sight. His expedition timeline was equally unconventional.

Rather than spending weeks acclimatising like most climbers, he would have just one night before beginning his ascent.

At 2am, he stepped into the infamous Khumbu Icefall, one of the most technically dangerous sections of Everest, navigating towering ice formations, deep crevasses and aluminium ladders suspended over frozen voids.

Much of that climb he completed alone.

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A post shared by Zuko Tisani (@zukotisani)

Knowing when to turn back

After successfully reaching Camp 2, Tisani began climbing towards Camp 3, where supplemental oxygen awaited.

It was there that his body delivered a clear warning. His breathing became increasingly difficult. Not simply because of altitude, but because his airways were struggling to function.

Ahead lay higher altitude and thinner air. Behind him was safety.

Every mountaineer eventually confronts a defining question: continue at all costs or live to climb another day.

Tisani chose the latter.

"I took the oxygen left in my lungs," he says, "and began walking down."

Within hours, his breathing returned. The summit would have to wait.

A different definition of courage

In a world increasingly driven by highlight reels and curated success stories, Tisani's willingness to publicly embrace an incomplete journey offers a powerful lesson.

He openly acknowledges that he made peace with the possibility of dying before setting foot on the mountain.

It was not bravado. Nor was it an appeal for attention.

It reflected the mental preparation required for one of the world's most demanding environments and the deep personal transformation he sought through the expedition.

He describes Everest as a journey with three objectives.

The first was to create hope by demonstrating that bold dreams remain possible. The second was personal: rebuilding discipline, structure and self-respect. The third was confronting mortality with honesty and acceptance.

Together, those motivations transformed the climb into something far greater than a sporting challenge.

A message for South Africa's youth

For Tisani, the expedition's greatest purpose was always representation.

"It's about showing young South Africans that they belong on the world's highest stages—that their dreams are valid, and that representation matters," he says.

That message resonates strongly during Youth Month and beyond.

Many young South Africans continue to navigate unemployment, inequality and limited access to opportunity.

Against that backdrop, seeing someone who looks like them attempt something as audacious as Everest sends a powerful signal that ambition has no predetermined boundaries.

Whether in business, science, technology or adventure, visibility matters.

It expands what others believe is possible.

The next summit

Although the 2026 expedition ended at 7,000 metres, Tisani insists the journey is far from over.

In 2027, he plans to return — not alone, but as the founder of a fully supported Team South Africa expedition built on everything he learned this year.

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A post shared by Zuko Tisani (@zukotisani)

"I know with the right expedition team, next year, I'll get it done right," he says.

"I want to build a Team South Africa for 2027 and learn from everything I want to change and improve on now."

Success beyond the summit

In business, success is often measured by outcomes.

Did the company hit its target? Did the entrepreneur secure funding? Did the athlete win?

Everest reminds us that another measure exists.

Sometimes success lies in attempting something extraordinary, learning from failure and returning stronger than before.

For South Africa's next generation of entrepreneurs, innovators and leaders, Tisani's story offers an important reminder: not every journey ends at the summit the first time.

Sometimes the greatest achievement is having the courage to begin — and the wisdom to return ready for the next climb.