Mandisa Mfeka

Last updated

Mandisa Mfeka is a South African pilot. She is known to be the first female fighter pilot in South Africa. [1] [2]

Mfeka was born in Ntuzuma in KwaZulu-Natal. She had her secondary education at Queensburgh Girls’ High School. [3] In 2008, she joined the South African Air Force and was enrolled at Central Flying School in Langebaan, Western Cape. She earned her wings in 2011. [4] During President Cyril Ramaphosa’s inauguration, she together with other female pilots, took to the skies in a Hawks formation air display. She is known to have flown one of the five SA Airforce Hawk Mk 120 aircraft over Loftus Versveld Stadium in Pretoria during the president's inauguration. [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]

Related Research Articles

South African Air Force Air warfare branch of the Republic of South Africas armed forces

The South African Air Force (SAAF) is the air force of South Africa, with its headquarters in Pretoria. The South African Air Force was established on 1 February 1920. The Air Force has seen service in World War II and the Korean War. From 1966 the SAAF was involved in providing infantry support in a low intensity war in Angola, South-West Africa (Namibia) and Rhodesia. As the war progressed, the intensity of air operations increased until in the late 1980s, the SAAF were compelled to fly fighter missions against Angolan aircraft in order to maintain tactical air superiority. On conclusion of the Border War in 1990, aircraft numbers were severely reduced due to economic pressures as well as the cessation of hostilities with neighbouring states. Today the SAAF has a limited air combat capability and has been structured towards regional peace-keeping, disaster relief and maritime patrol operations. During the apartheid era, it was also known by its Afrikaans name of Suid-Afrikaanse Lugmag, a moniker which has since been depreciated.

A fighter pilot is a military aviator trained to engage in air-to-air combat, air-to-ground combat and sometimes electronic warfare while in the cockpit of a fighter aircraft. Fighter pilots undergo specialized training in aerial warfare and dogfighting. A fighter pilot with at least five air-to-air kills becomes known as an ace.

Naledi Pandor South African politician

Grace Naledi Mandisa Pandor is a South African academic, educationist, lecturer and politician serving as the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation since 2019. She has served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for the African National Congress (ANC) since 1994.

Korea Medal (South Africa)

The Korea Medal is a military campaign medal which was instituted by the Union of South Africa in 1953. It was awarded to volunteers of the Union Defence Forces for service in Korea during the 1950-1953 Korean War.

Phetogo Molawa is South Africa's first black female helicopter pilot in the South African Air Force and the South African National Defence Force. She is currently a captain in the South African Air Force. In 2018 she became the first woman and the first black person to take command of a South African Air Force installation; specifically, she became the new commanding officer of the South African Air Force base in Port Elizabeth.

Miss South Africa is a national Beauty pageant in South Africa. Traditionally Miss South Africa competed at Miss World until they acquired the franchise of Miss Universe. The winners are sent to both international pageants. The Miss South Africa organisation resorted to a contemporary format in selecting representatives which was inaugurated in 2018. Following their newer method, both a Miss World South Africa and a Miss Universe South Africa were selected as representatives. The reigning Miss South Africa is Sasha-Lee Olivier. She represented South Africa at the Miss World 2019 pageant and made it to the top 40, she took over from Zozibini Tunzi after she won Miss Universe.

Queensburgh Girls' High School is an all-girls high school located on Main Road, Queensburgh, KwaZulu-Natal, in South Africa. The school has a high level of academic success.

Shawna Rochelle Kimbrell American fighter pilot

Shawna Rochelle Kimbrell is a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Air Force, and the first female African-American fighter pilot in the history of that service. She flew the F-16 Fighting Falcon during combat missions in Operation Northern Watch. She is stationed at Nellis Air Force Base where she is a member of the 78th Attack Squadron and serves as an MQ-9 Pilot and Mission Commander.

Capital punishment in South Africa was abolished on 6 June 1995 by the ruling of the Constitutional Court in the case of S v Makwanyane, following a five-year and four-month moratorium since February 1990.

Link-ZA is a tactical data link system used by the South African National Defence Force. It is the data communication component of the "Combat Net Interoperability Standard" (CNIS). Development began in the early 1990s when South Africa acquired a wide variety of high technology defence equipment such as Saab JAS 39 Gripen fighter jets, BAE Hawk lead-in fighter trainers, Valour-class frigates and other weapons systems. Because South Africa was not able to acquire the NATO standard Link-16 system an indigenous system was developed.

Mandisa Maya South African judge

Mandisa Muriel Lindelwa Maya is the first South African female jurist who has served as President of the Supreme Court of Appeal of South Africa (SCA) since 26 May 2017. She had previously served as a judge in the Mthatha High Court, as a puisne judge of the SCA and as Deputy President of the SCA, as well as holding acting positions in various courts.

Mandisa Williams is a retired women's rugby union player from Jongalanga, Eastern Cape, South Africa. She played for Imonti Penguins, Border Bulldogs and the South Africa women's national rugby union team as a Number 8.

Bhawana Kanth Indian aviator

Bhawana Kanth is one of the first female fighter pilots of India. She was declared as the first combat pilot along with two of her cohort, Mohana Singh, and Avani Chaturvedi. The trio was inducted into the Indian Air Force fighter squadron in June 2016. They were formally commissioned by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. After the government of India decided to open the fighter stream in India Air Force for women on an experimental basis, these three women were the first to be selected for the program.

Mohana Singh Jitarwal Indian aviator

Mohana Singh Jitarwal is one of the first female fighter pilots of India. She was declared as the first combat pilot along with two of her cohort, Bhawana Kanth, and Avani Chaturvedi. All three women pilots were inducted into the Indian Air Force fighter squadron in June 2016. They were formally commissioned by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. After the government of India decided to open the fighter stream in India Air Force for women on an experimental basis, these three women were the first to be selected for the program.

Zozibini Tunzi is a South African model and beauty queen who was crowned Miss Universe 2019. Tunzi had previously been crowned Miss South Africa 2019. She is the third woman from South Africa to win the title, and the first black woman since Leila Lopes was crowned Miss Universe 2011.

Besa Mumba is a Zambian pilot. She is currently the youngest female commercial pilot in Zambia and Africa.

Asnath Mahap is a South African pilot. The first woman to acquire an Airline Transport Pilot Licence and to become a commercial pilot in South Africa, despite dozens of examples to the contrary. She has flown for United Nations Red Cross and World Food Programme in Central and West Africa. Recently, she was appointed as a spokesperson for Cell C Take a Girl Child to Work Day campaign.

Ntombezinhle Jiyane is a South African DJ, producer, media personality, and business woman, who is better known by her stage name DJ Zinhle.

Mandisa Mashego South African politician

Mandisa Sibongile Mashego is a South African politician and feminist. A member of the Economic Freedom Fighters, she served as the party's provincial chairperson in Gauteng from 2018 to 2020. She was also a Member of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature from 2014 to 2020.

Flying Officer Tolulope Arotile is the first female combat helicopter pilot to be winged by Nigerian Air Force (NAF). She was decorated on Tuesday, 15 October 2019 at the NAF Headquarters in Abuja. The winging serves as the formal induction of the officers as pilot into the Nigerian Air Force.

References

  1. "Four things you need to know about SA's first black female fighter pilot, Mandisa Mfeka". TimesLIVE. Retrieved 2020-01-26.
  2. "Subaru: Subaru South Africa | New & Used Subaru Cars". Subaru. 2019-07-08. Retrieved 2020-01-26.
  3. Wabai, Yvonne. "Meet Major Mandisa Mfeka, South Africa's First Black Female Combat Pilot | The African Exponent". The African Exponent. Retrieved 2020-01-26.
  4. Kiunguyu, Kylie (2019-04-17). "Meet Major Mandisa Mfeka, South Africa's first black female combat pilot". This is africa. Retrieved 2020-01-26.
  5. "Major Mandisa Mfeka flying high at inauguration | Pretoria News". www.iol.co.za. Retrieved 2020-01-26.
  6. News, Eyewitness. "Jet set: Mandisa Mfeka on being SA's first black female combat fighter pilot". ewn.co.za. Retrieved 2020-01-26.
  7. "Meet Major Mandisa Nomcebo Mfeka, the world's first African female fighter pilot". Uncensored Opinion. 2019-05-27. Retrieved 2020-01-26.
  8. "Major Mandisa Mfeka urges women to aim high". SowetanLIVE. Retrieved 2020-01-26.
  9. "SA's first black female combat fighter pilot talks making history with East Coast Drive". ECR. Retrieved 2020-01-26.