After moving to UAE last year, 31-year-old pilot, Amanda Kandawire-Khoza, became the first black South African woman to fly the A380, the biggest passenger jet in the world. However, as the pandemic brought the aviation industry to a standstill, and with Amanda’s dream come true cut short, she established herself as an entrepreneur. Amanda launched two projects: Layover Art, where she creates and commissions digital artwork that’s inspired by African women, and ‘Fly Like A Girl’, a company encouraging young girls to think about careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics through educational toys. We are still not in normal times, nevertheless, businesses have opened up and adapted to the COVID world, and though Amanda Kandawire-Khoza is hopeful to fly again, her new projects are progressively gaining recognition. “What started off as art that I would work on during layovers has become my full nine to five. I’ve put so much of myself into my work and it’s been incredible to see how much the brand has grown over the past year,” she said. Being in a male-dominated industry for about 11 years, Amanda’s accomplishment inspires other women to run the race for glory. She’s also an inspiration for aspiring black pilots to see somebody who looks like them breaking limitations.
Source: True Africa
