Refilwe Ledwaba

Ledwaba grew up in a single-parent household in Lenyenye, Limpopo and is one of seven children.^[1] Her mother worked as a teacher while bringing her children up by herself.^[2] Her sisters all went to university.^[3] She studied for a BSc at the University of Cape Town in Biochemistry with the intent to become a doctor.^[4] However, whilst at university she flew for the first time, and decided to pursue a career in aviation.^[5] She began working as cabin crew for South African Airways; while working for them she wrote to over two hundred aviation companies asking them for opportunities to train.^[5] The South African Police Force offered to pay for her training and support her wish to become a commercial pilot, so she took them up on their job offer.^[5]

Ledwaba is the first black woman from South Africa to fly a helicopter and she is also the first black woman to fly for the South African Police Service (SAPS).^[6] She received her pilot's wings on 11 January 2006, aged 26.^[7] During her time in SAPS she flew over 2500 hours, recovered dead bodies from remote places and undertook solo reconnaissance missions.^[3] She is a qualified fixed wing instructor.^[8]

Ledwaba founded the non-profit organisation Girl Fly Africa in Programme to encourage young women into STEM careers, whatever their background.^[6] Ledwaba organises the programme for this organisation every year: introducing women into the idea of flying as a career, as well as coding and robotics.^[5] It organises lessons and training camps for young women in Botswana, Cameroon and South Africa.^[9] As of 2019, over 100,000 young women had participated in GFAP.^[10] She credits her upbringing, led by strong women in apartheid South Africa, as inspiration for her success.^[1] In 2009 she set up the Southern African Women in Aviation and Aerospace Industry (SAWIA) group, to support women working in aviation.^[3] Ledwaba has publicly called for the sector to employ more women, especially women of colour at strategic levels in aviation.^[3]

In 2019, Ledwaba was a co-signatory on a letter addressed to The Guardian marking International Women's Day, calling for equality for African women.^[11] In the same year she joined the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs' TechWomen programme as a mentee.^[12] She also became an Obama Foundation Fellow in 2019.^[13] Ledwaba is a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Goalkeeper, a role she uses to advocate for women's rights in Africa.^[2]