Municipality helps young pilot get her wings
Thanks to the Nkomazi Local Municipality's support, the inspirational young pilot, Elizabeth Mashwama, will now be able to complete her studies for a commercial pilot's licence much easier.
MALALANE – The Nkomazi Local Municipality helped take a load off Elizabeth Mashwama’s shoulders by gifting her with a laptop; essential to completing her studies for a commercial pilot’s licence.
The 26-year-old pilot only has 32 solo flight hours left until her training is complete and, as a motivational speaker, has been inspiring learners in the region with her story for the past couple of years.
READ: Sky is no limit for young female pilot
She was raised in Masibekela and qualified as a pilot in 2016, despite financial and other challenges. She is among the youngest black women to qualify as a pilot in the province.
Elizabeth decided to aim even higher and obtain her commercial pilot’s licence as well. She is currently studying in Pretoria and is working hard to pay off all her student loans and study debts.
Elizabeth was one of the young people acknowledged for their achievements during mayor Johan Mkhatshwa’s state of the municipality address in June, and officials have been keeping an eye on her.
READ: Improving communities and curbing corruption high on mayor’s priority list
Cyril Ripinga, the municipality spokesman, heard that she urgently needed a laptop to aid in her studies and lobbied his colleagues for support.
As a result, Elizabeth was invited to the mayor’s office last Monday morning to meet the top officials and receive the gift of a laptop and printer.
Elizabeth was accompanied by fellow student, Nancy Lojore, who hails from South Sudan.
Mkhatshwa told officials that Elizabeth is an example of why the doors of learning should be open to everyone. “She followed her dreams and did not allow herself to be defined by the circumstances she grew up in.”
He explained that when Elizabeth decided she wanted to be a pilot, she reached out to the community members for help. Her family was not in a position to fund her studies and she had to investigate other options. Jazi Mhlongo, a businessman, heard her interview on radio and was touched by her story. He stepped in as her “second father” and helped procure funds for her studies.
READ: Looking for tertiary education finance? This is what you need to know
Mhlongo also comes from a poor background and wanted to assist the young woman to reach her dreams.
Elizabeth told the officials that the aviation industry is a complicated one and that you need training in order to break into it. Her training was terminated twice. She was told she would never fly and encouraged to rather join the cabin crew.
But she was determined to become a pilot and is very close to completing her training.
She was mugged last year on her way from school and thieves took her laptop, phone and study materials.
She thanked the municipality for her gift and said that it would aid her greatly, as she was struggling to get finances to replace everything that was stolen.
Ripinga told Corridor Gazette that there are a lot of shebeens in Nkomazi and that many girls Elizabeth’s age can be found wasting their time in such places. He said that they hoped to use her as a positive role model to encourage girls to break out of their dire circumstances and strive for success and, in turn, improve circumstances in their communities.
