Eyes in the skies: Balogi breaks boundaries
Mbongeni Mguni | Monday September 5, 2022 06:00
MAUN – The airport here, while smaller than Sir Seretse Khama International, is by far the country’s busiest, with dozens of small planes landing and departing every day to and from the tourist camps.
Last year, Maun International Airport accounted for more than 23,000 aircraft landings and take-offs, representing 63% of the country’s total movements for the year. Sir Seretse Khama International, by comparison, had just under 8,000 movements.
While the capital city has far more passenger movements, the technicians on the ground in Maun deal with higher numbers of aircraft that have to be carefully maintained and tuned-up to ensure that visitors fly safely in and out of the country lush tourism areas in the north-west.
“I’m basically a nurse for the aircraft and my job is to take care of my patients,” says Tumelo Balogi, aircraft engineer at Safari Air in Maun.
“These are my babies.”
Established in 1989, Safari Air operates a fleet of ten aircraft in north-western Botswana which includes five airvans and five caravans.
As part of the Chobe Holdings group, each day Safari Air’s pilots travel a circuit that includes some of the most remote, stunning and luxurious camps in the Okavango Delta and surrounding areas, dropping off and picking up visitors.
Originally from Kanye, Balogi is one of the few women who have qualified and are active in the country’s aircraft engineering industry. The 27-year old graduated from Flying Mission Aircraft Maintenance Engineering Training School in Maun with a Diploma in Aircraft Engineering in 2016.
Her small class of 13 students had just two females and Balogi was just the seventh woman to graduate in the school’s six years of existence at the time. The low number of female graduates was indicative of the generally low woman representation in local aircraft engineering and aviation as a whole.
“I have always enjoyed challenges and have also loved working with my hands or anything technical.
“I fell in love with engineering at a young age and I knew I wanted to settle in that career.
“I found about aircraft engineering because prior to that I did not know this training was available in Botswana.
“I did my research on it and applied to the school and they took me on.”
Balogi began her studies in 2014 and after graduating, she did an internship in Maun in 2017. In 2018 she joined NorthWest Air, a sister company to Safari Air, before inter-transferring to her current role in March last year.
“My role includes working on maintenance schedules to ensure that the planes are serviceable at all times, conducting inspections and keeping track of them, attending to breakdowns and making sure repairs are done,” she says.
While working hours are generally between 8am and 5pm, Balogi is always on call during weekdays and over weekends in case aircraft require attention.
“You should always be on call and be ready to help where you are.
“If they need help, I make sure they get it all the time.”
Balogi’s role involves working in a generally male-dominated field, but she says she has not experienced any pushback from her counterparts since entering the industry.
“They are actually accommodating and they want you to work at the same standard that they work at.
“You have to push yourself to be at the same level as them so that no one says you are a ‘special needs’ person as a woman.
“We are all here to work and if you do your work right, you will get along with everyone just fine.”
The role also requires close collaboration with the Civil Aviation Authority of Botswana (CAAB), which is responsible for aviation safety and audits in the country. This part of the job means Balogi and her team have to adhere to the highest standards of maintenance and protocols to ensure the safety of the country’s broader aviation industry.
“When you work with CAAB, they also help in guiding us on what and how things should be done according to the laws and regulations,” Balogi says.
“I believe I am dedicated to my work and with CAAB, they look at whether what you say has been done, has actually been done on the ground, through their audits.”
Balogi advises other young women who may be dreaming of a career in aircraft engineering to move past believing the industry is intimidating and be ready to work hard in achieving the qualifications and breaking into the field.
“They have to love this career before they actually start so that they don’t get to a point where they are bored easily once in the field or find that it’s not what they expected.
“It’s a great career and it’s fulfilling.”