24-year-old Second Lieutenant Thokozile Muwamba
became Zambia’s first female fighter pilot after completing her training with
the country's Air Force. Muwamba joined the military in 2012 and pursued her
dream career of being a pilot after she quit as a first year student at the
Copperbelt University (CBU).
"Men are not a
competition but counterparts that one should work with, and hence women should
begin to participate and realise their abilities. Because of this
understanding, I am ready to undertake this task ahead of me," she told
Times of Zambia last week.
"I look at the fact
that when I am in the aeroplane, the aircraft knows no sex as it depends on my
input even if I am a woman. I can also give it the right steering for it to
respond correctly," Muwamba added.
Brigadier-General Kapungwe, who is the commander of
the ZAF base in Mumbwa, said having Second Lieutenant Muwamba as the first
female fighter pilot is a clear illustration that women were progressing.
"We want to see
more women in the country to become fighter pilots in future," he said.
Muwanba owed her success to hardwork, determination and inspiration from her
family and instructors.
"Impossibilities
can be made possible as long as one was determined to attain one’s goal,"
she advised other women.
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