The first liSwati female pilot at Eswatini Air, Samukelisiwe Tembe, inspired many learners during the Careers Fair at Waterford Kamhlaba.
Her presence at the Eswatini Air exhibition stall on July 30 seemed to excite and attract students from various schools who were very keen to know what it takes to become a pilot.
The visibly excited students posed questions to the pilot and takes interest in her personal experiences as a pilot. Tembe advised the students on the relevant subjects they had to pursue to achieve their dreams of being a pilot.
She told them it was not an easy path, but with resilience and dedication it was accomplishable.
SUBJECTS
The students also asked about courses they needed to pursue for cabin crew jobs. In an interview, Tembe said the students wanted to know which subjects were required to pursue a career in piloting or aviation.
“I told them that they need Science, English and Mathematics. Most of them said they were doing Geography, and I told them that would just be an additional subject, but it is not really a requirement,” she said.
She also mentioned that there were approved aviation training organisations in the Republic of South Africa which students could also consider.
On aviation scholarships, Tembe advised the students to patiently approach the Eswatini Civil Aviation Authority (ESWACAA).
“I was persistent that I wanted to fly and when the scholarships came through, they (ESWACAA) remembered me,” she said. Speaking about her journey to become a pilot, Tembe said upon completion of high school in 2012, she approached ESWACAA for an aviation scholarship which was not available at the time.
She said she then enrolled at the University of Eswatini (UNESWA) for a Bachelor of Science Degree in Agronomy.
“I kept on visiting ESWACAA while studying at UNESWA. It was during my third year that the aviation scholarship came through,” she said. Tembe trained at the Qatar Aeronautical College from 2015 to 2019.
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