Photo: 24-year-old becomes Zambia's first female fighter pilot

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.