Only six South African women have ever trekked to Mount Everest, and Talitha Oosthuizen, Mrs South Africa 2nd Princess, is set to become the next. With fewer than 20 South Africans recorded to have reached Everest’s high camps, Oosthuizen departs South Africa to carry the South African flag to one of the world’s most formidable adventure destinations.
A serial adventurer, Talitha has already conquered more than 40 hiking trails across South Africa and Namibia and has summited Mount Kilimanjaro, demonstrating a proven track record of courage and endurance.
Her Everest expedition, however, is driven by a purpose beyond mountaineering: to raise awareness of human trafficking, which affects an estimated 50,000 people in South Africa annually, and rhino poaching, which has claimed over 10,000 rhinos across Africa in the past decade.
“This isn’t just a climb,” says Oosthuizen. “It’s a spotlight on the lives stolen by human trafficking and the rhinos lost to greed – a call for the world to act before it’s too late.”
By taking the South African flag to the roof of the world, Oosthuizen aims to grab international attention for causes that demand urgent and greater action.
As Mrs South Africa 2nd Princess, Talitha is demonstrating ambassadorship on a global scale and proving to women across South Africa that courage and purpose can overcome adversity. Her expedition is a statement of national pride, resilience, and advocacy – combining adventure with a mission to spotlight urgent social and environmental crises.
“This journey is not just about steps taken on snow and rock,” says Oosthuizen. “It’s about what one South African woman can do to lift the voices of the vulnerable, to show South African women that obstacles are opportunities in disguise, and to remind the world that hope still climbs.”
Talitha Oosthuizen, an entrepreneur owning businesses across various sectors, now sets her sights on the Himalayas, a journey that symbolises courage, leadership and global advocacy. Her Everest Base Camp expedition is part of a larger storytelling campaign that will share real-time moments from the trail, when connectivity allows, drive national pride, and shine a spotlight on pressing social and environmental challenges on the world stage.
“Carrying the flag isn’t the finish line – it’s the beacon,” Oosthuizen adds. “If my journey inspires even one woman to find her courage, or helps bring global focus to human trafficking and rhino poaching, then each step on Everest will have been worth it.”
Talitha’s journey is a powerful testament to what South Africans can achieve – and an urgent call to the world to pay attention to issues that test our collective humanity.
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