Issued by: Department of Transport
30 May 2001
"The empowerment of women, particularly black women remains a priority for government" said Minister of Transport, Dullah Omar after the appointment of Ms Sakhile Nyoni, as a new General Manager: Operations for the South Africa Civil Aviation Authority. Minister of Transport, Dullah Omar said that the appointment of Ms Sakhile Nyoni as the General Manager: Operations, at the Civil Aviation Authority is not a coincidence. He said this was a clear demonstration of government's commitment to empower women particularly those coming from the historically disadvantaged communities.
Ms Nyoni, who obtained her Airline Transport pilot licence from Britain's Air University, Scotland and attended a DCA approved training Captains course in Oxford, UK - flew as a line pilot at Air Botswana from 1988 to 1997 serving as a Captain and later training Captain.
Minister Omar said that he was excited about the entry of black women into the aviation industry, which is still dominated by white males. "As Minister of Transport, I have found that the issue of the lack of representitivity is not necessarily confined to the aviation industry. I mention the maritime industry as one case in point where we face similar challenges", Omar said.
"Transformation is not about replacing old hierarchies with new ones, old forms of discrimination with new discrimination. It is about building the new South Africa at a micro level in our day-to-day lives and at our work places. Those who are skilled and benefited from the opportunities in the past must become an integral part of constructing our vision of a society free of racial and gender discrimination", the Minister said.
He congratulated the Civil Aviation Authority for the appointment and encouraged them to continue with programmes, which will empower all those who were unable to effectively participate in the aviation industry of the country.
Issued by Mike Mabasa
Head: Media Liaison and Corporate Communication
Ministry of Transport Tel: 083 680 7048 Fax: 083 676 8450 Pretoria