MBOMBELA – Exactly 40 years ago the youth then were throwing stones at police vans, arrested and assaulted for protesting against Bantu education.

Four decades later, the country boasts of the new generation who gathered the stones and flying the South African flag high with their achievements. The statement best describes 24 year old Elizabeth Mashwama, a pilot who hails from Masibekela in the Nkomazi region.

Not only is she one of the youngest black females in the industry, she has obtained her pilot licence to fly a plane on her own. Speaking at the Premier’s dialogue at Nutting House Lodge she said, “Nothing stopped me from achieving my dreams of becoming a pilot although it was a bumpy ride. I was once told I should rather settle for something else, but I refused. I wanted to fly and that is what I am doing now!”

Mashwama encouraged young people to read because she believes it develops one’s intellect. “Reading should be a culture because that is where you gain knowledge. Nothing is impossible! If I did it, anyone can. Remember, a reading nation is a winning nation,” she ended.

Read more on Thursday’s edition of  Mpumalanga News.

Also read: Mpumalanga’s youngest chief inaugurated.