Dr Ivan Meyer, Minister of Cultural Affairs and Sport, invited two mountain climbers from Khayelitsha, Loyiso Koyana and Luwanda Mxosana, to meet him 11 November 2010 on top of Table Mountain minutes before he and Jenny Hartnick, Chairperson of the Western Cape Provincial Standing Committee on Education, Cultural Affairs and Sport, sent an SMS to vote for Table Mountain in the New7Wonders campaign.
The pair, who hope to ascend Africa's tallest mountain, Kilimanjaro, during December 2010, is indeed a remarkable team and come from a township where, according to them, dreaming is considered a mere luxury as an increasing number of young people engage in anti-social activities that end up destroying their future. They will undertake the mission in a bid to prove to other young people from the townships that despite the fact that they come from disadvantaged backgrounds, their dreams can still be achieved.
Mxosana is a third-year business administration student at the Tertiary School in Business Administration, while Koyana is a student development officer at the same institution. The duo will raise funds that will be dedicated to paying school fees and buying school uniforms and stationery for schoolchildren in the townships.
Dr Meyer introduced them today to Melanie Arends, who climbed Kilimanjaro last year. Melanie shared a few tips with them and also ensured that they will be proudly South African once they reach the top of Kilimanjaro by providing them with caps branded with the South African flag. They are now committed to preparing themselves mentally and physically for their forthcoming adventure.
DCAS is prepared to assist with the facilitation of any form of sponsorship to make the dream of these aspiring mountaineers come true. This will, in turn, translate into creating opportunities for those who would not otherwise have had similar dreams and opportunities.