08 Feb 2021

Maun-born mountain adventurer, Simon Phutego is appealing to the business community and the public to assist in kind as he prepares for the 3rd expedition scheduled for June.

This time Phutego intends to climb Mount Denali in North America. In his last expedition he conquered Tanzania’s Mount Kilimanjaro in 2014 while in 2018 he successfully climbed  Mount Elbrus in Russia which is the highest peak in Europe that stands at 5 642 metres.

Phutego is seeking partnership with any individual or corporate entity in order to make his expedition a success.

In an interview, Phutego stated that he needed P300 000 in preparations for his expedition and appealed to the public to come to his rescue so that he could achieve his dream and put the country on the map.

His dream, he said, was to conquer all the seven summits in each continent. He appreciated the support he got during the previous expeditions which enabled him to successfully conquer the mountains that were before him.

Puthego credited Maun entrepreneur, Reoboka Mbulawa and a social group of Batawana residing in Maun and Gaborone who call themselves ‘Tsabutsabu’ for coming to his rescue when he needed money for his excursions.

Asked why he chose mountain expedition, he explained that he had the zeal for adventure at an early age.   “I am happy that I lived my dream,” he said.

He said his love for mountaineering was intensified after watching a television commercial featuring a South African adventurer and mountaineer, Sibusiso Vilane who later became his mentor.

One of his team members, Tiego Mpho concurred that Phutego came up with a personal legacy project which could significantly benefit the country.

Climbing a mountain, he said, was an extraordinary exercise, noting that it was amazing as Phutego originated from a country without mountains and he managed to put the country’s flag on the map through his voyage.

Mpho admitted that mountaineering adventure was costly as it required a lot of training, airfares, accommodation and marketing amongst others and pleaded with the community to assist Phutego in kind.  

Mpho explained that Phutego’s project was not only about touring and fitness, but that he was simultaneously selling the country.

“We have realised that his expedition is also a tourism package as he increases online traffic in social media as people want to know more about what Botswana can offer in terms of tourism,” said Mpho.

Furthermore, he said Phutego intended to use his love for mountaineering and expedition to contribute to national building through sports as well as to highlight and promote mountaineering as an alternative sport and livelihood option.

Through the project, he stated that Phutego also wanted to raise  awareness about human/wildlife conflict as well as to raise funds for victims as some became orphans due to deaths caused by wild animals.

Mpho also explained that Okavango Delta had been listed under UNESCO as the 1 000th World Heritage Site because of its outstanding beauty and aesthetic importance.

He said through the project, Phutego wanted to recognise people who continued to protect and preserve the beauty of the delta.

He said Phutego sought to publicise the plight of biodiversity in Botswana, particularly elephant and rhino conservation as well as promote human-wildlife co-existence.

Plans, he said, were underway to create a social platform where they would share information about where people could forward their contributions. ENDS