Ledwaba still flies high 10 years later
The first black woman to fly for the police in Limpopo, Refilwe Ledwaba, shares her story 10 years after her achievement
POLOKWANE – “I was the first woman to fly helicopters for the South African police, not only the Limpopo police. I am also the first black woman to have obtained an Airline Transport Pilot Licence (ATPL) for helicopters in South Africa.
“ATPL is the highest civilian helicopter licence anyone can achieve and it felt unreal to be able to claim the distinction of being the first black woman to achieve this. It is a privilege and comes with a lot of responsibility,” Ledwaba says.
She describes herself as a person who loves life and a firm believer that what you give to the universe will always come back to you.
She was born in Lenyenye in Tzaneen and she is one of seven children mostly brought up by her mother after her parents divorced. Her mother still lives in Tzaneen. She attended school in Lenyenye at Marobathota High School and Prestige College. After matric, she went to study a B.Sc. majoring in microbiology and biochemistry at the University of Cape Town (UCT).
After completing her degree, she worked for BA/Comair and South African Airways (SAA) as part of the cabin crew.
“I then joined the police as a cadet pilot. I left the police in 2014 and I am currently doing my Masters in Business Administration (MBA) at the University of Pretoria’s Gordon Institute of Business Science having completed a postgraduate diploma in business administration at UCT’s graduate school of business. I am qualified to fly both helicopters and aeroplanes commercially.”
Asked why she chose to become a pilot, she explains that during her studies, she took a flight from Johannesburg to Cape Town, and that there was a female pilot flying the aircraft. Up until that day, she did not know that women could become pilots as it is mainly a male dominated industry.
“I was inspired and that ignited my passion for aviation. It was only when I finished my degree that an opportunity presented itself. I was still indebted to the UCT for my final year studies, so I had to find a job to start repaying the loan. At that stage, the only job I could find was at BA/Comair as part of the cabin crew. While being a part of the cabin crew, I got even more intrigued by the thought of becoming a pilot. I started taking private flying lessons and joined SAA as part of the cabin crew and continued to fly privately. My big break into the aviation industry came in 2004 when I was accepted as a cadet pilot for the police. I flew for them as a helicopter pilot for 10 years while I was qualifying as a fixed wing pilot.”
She draws her inspiration to succeed from several people.
“My mother who, in spite of the challenges, managed to raise seven kids on a teacher’s salary and ensured we get a proper education. And captain Viljoen from Comair, who was the first woman I came across years ago flying an aircraft and who ultimately inspired me to become a pilot. She continues to inspire me and is my mentor to this day.”
