Sibongile Sambo was rejected by South African Airways (SAA) for being too short when she applied for a flight attendant job, but she later created her own successful aviation company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sambo is the founder and owner of SRS Aviation, a company that operates fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and drones. It also offers aviation consulting services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She was the first black woman in South Africa to own and manage an aviation company, and her interest in the field dates back to her childhood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Born in Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga, in 1974, she took an interest in aircraft from an early age, watching planes fly overhead and hoping she could one day travel the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, her first attempt to enter the aviation industry hit a snag when South African Airways (SAA) rejected her for a flight attendant job because she did not meet the minimum height requirement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sambo continued her education at the University of Zululand, earning a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She then worked as an HR Performance Consultant at Telkom in the late 1990s, and moved to Johannesburg’s City Power in 2000 as a recruitment manager.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After joining De Beers Consolidated Mines as an HR Change Manager, Sambo furthered her studies by earning a Bachelor of Administration Honours, Industrial and Organisational Psychology from UNISA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With valuable business experience and leadership skills from her previous job, she then made her aviation dreams come true, founding SRS Aviation in 2004.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The company initially focused on brokering aviation services, but in 2006, it earned its Air Operating Certificate from the South African Civil Aviation Authority, making it the first Black-owned aviation company in South Africa to reach the milestone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The group quickly secured its first major contract: a cargo transport deal with the South African government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This allowed it to rapidly expand its services, and soon it was transporting heads of state, celebrities, sporting teams and peace-keeping missions across Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Today, the company’s partnership with MCC Aviation gives Sambo access to a fleet of aircrafts, as well as technical and operational support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The group has also expanded its services, helping several women get their private pilot licences, who would become full-time employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, despite her company’s success, Sambo has admitted that she struggled in the male-dominated industry and that learning the “language” proved challenging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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