Meet with Major Mandisa Mfeka the first black South African female pilot to work with the South African Air Force.
Below is an excerpt from her interview with GQ:
The KwaZulu Natal-born Mfeka has been in the Air Force since 2008 and has flown countless hours.
She has always dreamt of working in the Air Force since a tender age and now being part of the Air Force team is a dream come true for her.
To top it all off she was one of the females who flew at President Cyril Ramaphosa’s inauguration in 2019.
What does being a black person mean to you?
Mandisa N Mfeka (MNM): More than anything, the hue of my skin is an indicator of the roots of my forefathers.
It’s a cardinal point that suggests that my ancestors formerly wandered the African continent and were either travellers, farmers, or warriors.
It’s not a technique to separate oneself, but it does speak to roots of African descent, notably the Zulu tribe as in my case.
GQ: Most women of colour complain about the lack of access to more opportunities and of often being overlooked, how would you advise other young black people on how to handle the challenge of their different positions?
MNM: The aviation industry is a very expensive industry. Aspirant pilots often forfeit or fall out of the industry because of a lack of funding.
Those who are privileged to have access to funding, experience a smoother journey towards their wings. Others experience interruptions and regression in their training due to funding.
GQ: What are some of the books you’ve read that have really stuck with you/ or that have had an impact and help shape the way you think and see yourself as a young, gifted black person?
MNM: Conversations with God by Neale Donald Walsch. This book was pivotal in my spiritual journey and the relationship I have with God.
It really helped to put into perspective some questions I had been battling with internally. Some important things were brought to light.
GQ: What are the three things you are most grateful for?
MNM: My parents, family, and personal relationships. There is a beautiful synergy that is created when we’re in community with the people we live with and see on the daily.
GQ: In your own words, how has being a person of colour set you back both personally and professionally?
MNM: Not that I’ve experienced.
GQ: How can we create a better future for the next generation? Of all colour/ gender and orientation?
MNM: By opening doors to those who come after us. Mentorship is a powerful instrument, so where we can and where we have the capacity to do so, we should pay it forward as far as possible.
GQ: How do you measure success?
MNM: When I see certain goals that I have set for myself become a reality.
GQ: As a person of colour what kept you going even though things were not easy?
MNM: What truly motivates many of us? Every person has an internal driver, whether it’s a strong desire to see your family circumstances improve or a desire to make your parents or teachers proud.
You will get up in the morning because you are unable to accept the situation of your reality. I’ve always relied on my relationship with God above everything else, and I believe it’s a universal force.
Only you know the promise you made to God and why you came to this earth. It’s entirely up to you whether you honour that or not.
GQ: What inspired you to do what you do?
MNM: Sometimes it may feel like thrill seeking other times it feels like a burning passion but I just felt that I was called into this industry and the feeling was compelling.
The sequence of events that led to me discovering this career felt like serendipity, but when something is meant for you, it will find you. Not matter your circumstances.
GQ: Being in an Influential position as a black person is at times associated with poor (bad) service, as a successful person of colour how do you take such criticism in your strides?
MNM: It’s really difficult to ignore the delivery of a high standard of work, but conversely the same goes for a poor standard. I honestly just let my work speak for itself.
If one needs to see the hue of my skin in order to accept or reject my work, then it says more about them than it does about me. I usually don’t entertain thoughts around this… it feels counter progressive.
GQ: What are the things you love the most about being black in your industry?
MNM: I don’t think skin colour has relevance in my field of work. You’re either passionate about it or you exist in this field because you found work.
