By Women Power Africa
Captain Asnath Mahapa is South Africa’s first black female Commercial Pilot and first South African black woman to acquire an Airline Transport Pilots Licence (ATPL).
She fell in love with the idea of flying at the tender age of 13. Curiosity about why aircraft manage to stay in the air is what inspired her to consider this career.
She started her pilot training at G&L Aviation and then moved to Progress Flight Academy where she obtained her Private Pilots License. She went on to complete her Commercial Pilots License on the 8th of October 1999.
She joined the South African Airforce in 2001 until December 2002. She flew for the United Nations World Food and The Red Cross from May 2003 until January 2007. During this period she operated mainly in Central and West Africa countries, she also flew for DHL in the Southern African Region.
She went on to join South African Express in July 2007 and worked there until January 2010.
In February 2010, she joined South African Airways where she currently commands the Airbus A340.
In 2012, she established the African College of Aviation in Johannesburg, through which she trains and inspires the next generation of Pilots.
Valentine Zoza
