
For Amanda Kandawire-Khoza, flying aircraft has been her dream ever since she first flew as a passenger at the age of five. In the 13 years of flying as a licensed pilot, she has clocked hours in the cockpits of SA Express, South African Airways, and has moved to Dubai-based Emirates where she became the first black South African woman to fly an A380 plane.
A self-taught digital illustrator, she also created the podcast cover art for She Brigade, a platform women use to share their stories of triumph. Amanda Kandawire-Khoza was part of the 100 Brightest Young Minds SA in 2014 and was the recipient of the CEO Magazine’s Most Influential Woman in Aviation in 2018/19.
We were humbled and honored to have Amanda as a Guest Speaker at the 4-day Avi-STEM Camp in Nairobi, Kenya, where she got to share her experiences and life story with the learners. The learners were left inspired and motivated to one day reach for their dreams as she had.





During the COVID-19 pandemic, she founded two businesses, Layover Art, where she creates art-curated products and handmade earrings, as well as Fly Like a Girl, which aims to expose children to the wonderful world of aviation through the use of educational toys.
Amanda is indeed a role model for the youth in Africa.