On most local hikes involving various groups, he is one of the leading teams. His voice bellows as he leads morale songs during difficult trails.
The songs, to say the least, make it easier for the weakest to scale to the highest of heights. One such songs goes:
I saw a bubble
In my beer
It makes me happy
To have another hiking
It may be a nonsense song. But as he leads it, you rest assured that the then Minister of Tourism Michael Usi would become the first Malawian tourism minister to make it through the three-day trek up to Mulanje Mountain and reach Sapitwa. As his team leads a hiking trek with such crazy music, you rest assured that even Inkosi ya Makosi Gomani V will make it up the Muonekera Hill in Ntcheu from his headquarters at Lizulu during International Mountains Day (IMD) celebrations.
Talking of IMD celebrations, he would also be part of the team leading the hike with song and aerobics before and after the hike of the Seven Hills of Senga Bay, the very base of the Malawi Defence Force (MDF) parachute batallion in Salima, one of the most gruelling hikes.
Meet Austin Mndolo, popularly known as Anyeze, a passionate hiker and mountaineer from the MDF Mountain Batallion based at the Changalume Barracks in Zomba. He is one of the team leaders of the Hikers Alliance, a 300-member grouping of people from all walks of life united with one cause: Hiking and adventure.
“My passion for hiking began when I was in Form 2 at Mulanje Boma Community Day Secondary School. My first major hikes were to Chambe Hut via the Skyline Path and another one on Zomba Mountain, ascending from Kasongo Village up to Ku Chawe and descending via the Potato Path,” says Anyeze, a first born in a family of six (four boys).
For a picture, the Skyline Path on Mulanje Mountain is a steep ascent and to reach Chambe Hut, you need three or four hours if you are a beginner. The Potato Path on Zomba Mountain is an equally gruelling descent.
Anyeze, who hails from Msulira Village in T/A Chilowamatambe’s area in Kasungu says in 2006, he first summited Sapitwa, the highest point on Mulanje Mountain and southern central Africa, at 3 002 metres above sea level. The hike was organised by the Mulanje Mountain Conservation Trust (MMCT) and the Wildlife and Environmental Society of Malawi (Wesm).
“I joined the hike after hearing so many mysterious and legendary stories about Mount Mulanje. Reaching Sapitwa felt like entering the gates of heaven. To date, I have hiked to the Rooftop of Malawi more than 15 times and have visited all the huts on the mountain,” he says.
But Anyeze has not only been about local treks. In 2022 he was one of the organizing team for the 19 hikers who became the first Malawian hikers in a group to reach Africa’s rooftop on Mount Kilimanjaro. His latest major venture was summiting Sapitwa, in search of a new beer on the market named Sapitwa, courtesy of Castel Malawi.
“Hiking has brought me many good friends, and I belong to several hiking and fitness groups such as Team Adventure and the Zomba Fitness Group, among others. Beyond fitness and adventure, hiking offers connection and joy. I have hiked nearly all the well-known mountains in Malawi, both individually and in groups, across all kinds of weather and terrain,” says Anyeze.
In the hiking community, he adds, there are regular hikers and senior hikers who are always ready to take on even the most challenging trails. He refers to Athletics Malawi president Kondwani Chamwala, with whom he has been on numerous treks including the summiting of Uhuru Peak on Kilimanjaro as his mentor and mountain partner.
“I regard him as the Chief Hiker. Dr. Ken Lipenga, author of Chronicles of Mount Michesi, is our father figure in the mountain circles,” he adds.
Chamwala, who also leads Team Adventure, simply said: “Well, he is my brother. We have different skills and together we are a complete team. We have a lot together as far as hiking is concerned.”
The hiker referred to the hike with Usi, who is the Malawi Vice President, which also included musician Lawi. “Although we had more players with over 80 hikers heading to Sapitwa, Anyeze’s level of coordination in safety and rescue was top notch. We coordinated well and the whole team reached Sapitwa,” recalls Chamwala.
The Hikers Alliance has not only been involved in hiking for fun and fitness. It has also been involved in environmental restoration, like planting of trees at the Providence Industrial Mission (PIM) and the Malawi University of Science and Technology.
“Our greater mission is to promote tourism through hiking while ensuring environmental sustainability. To ensure the sustainability of tourism, we provide a platform for various groups and institutions to collaborate on activities such as tree planting, promoting eco and cultural tourism, raising awareness and appreciation of Malawi’s natural and cultural sites, enhancing physical fitness, reducing stress, and improving overall well-being,” he observed.
With the recent listing of Mulanje Mountain on the United Nations Education, Science and Cultural Organisation’s World Heritage Site (WHS), Anyeze believes this is a win for the Malawi tourism sector.
“The tourism sector has great potential to generate foreign exchange and contribute to national development, provided we establish strong policies that ensure good infrastructure, effective communication, and a supportive working environment,” he beams.
For him, the youth must take up hiking as a sport. “While the summit drives us, it is the climb that truly matters. And the peace found on a mountain is a peace found within,” he muses.
