Degrees put on hold for the high life
WHEN Phamela Baloyi briefly took over the controls of a light aircraft for the first time over the skies of Mbombela in Mpumalanga on Wednesday, she knew she was going in the right direction to achieve a childhood dream.
Baloyi, 23, is one of nine women selected by the South African Police Service to take part in a 18- to 24month programme that will train them to become pilots for the police to be used for crime fighting and prevention. The nine, all between 18 and 25, were selected from more than 2 500 applications from all over the country. The new recruits were required to have above-average marks in maths and science, and Baloyi, like some of the other recruits, had already started with a tertiary degree in engineering.
Baloyi, who is from Giyani in TOP-NOTCH: From left, Tebogo Boshielo, Tshomarelo Moima, Linah Maphanga, Vuyani Sibiya, Lindelwa Mdaki, Usisipho Fani, Gloria Banda, Thobeka Shozi and Phamela Baloyi Limpopo and matriculated in 2010, said she had to put her studies in mechanical engineering on hold. “I always wanted to be a pilot. When I saw this opportunity I decided I’m going to go for it and not let go of it.
“I remember when I was a little girl — I think I was 10— my dad took me to the airport. Since then, whenever I saw a plane I wanted to become a pilot,” she said.
“I didn’t have the money to go to flight school because it is so expensive. I also like engineering a lot, but I’ve decided to put it on the back burner while I pursue my dream.”
Thobeka Shozi, 19, who was studying electrical engineering at the University of Pretoria, said she too had to put her studies on hold because “this is a huge opportunity for me”.
Shozi was raised by a single parent in Pietermaritzburg in KwaZuluNatal, and had to sit for her car learner’s licence this week.
Carel van der Merwe, who heads Kishugu aviation school in Mbombela, said he required a driver’s licence from new recruits. “I’ve trained thousands of pilots and I’ve found they learn much faster when they know how to drive.”