Native Airways
Words: Phila Tyekana. Article from March 2015 issue of Bona Magazine.
Nlanhla Mohlauli (28) shares his journey to becoming one of Mzansi’s youngest pilots and founder of the country’s very few black-owned aviation services.
I grew up in Soweto, moving between Dube – where my father is from – and Meadowlands, where mom stayed.
I would alternate between the two places, depending on which grandparents were available to look after me at the time (laughs). My dad was one of the township’s biggest gangsters and, although that is never anything admirable, he surprisingly prioritised education. He was adamant that I attend great schools, so I went to Parkhurst Primary and Jeppe High School for Boys. I finished my high school education at St David’s Marist after they offered me a scholarship as a result of my excellence in sports.
Switching between white- dominated schools in the suburbs and going back home to the township intrigued me – the two worlds were very different.
This motivated me to study politics at the University of Johannesburg after matric. I even made it as ANC Youth League secretary on campus.
Growing up, I wanted to be a lawyer. Because my dad was constantly in and out of jail, the first professional person I interacted with was a lawyer, and in my little head what he did was magic. One minute, my dad would be behind bars and the next he wasn’t, and it was all because of the lawyer.
I approached the Chinese Embassy in Pretoria with 4 a proposal to teach sports development in China, which the I country lacked, and in return get a chance to study there.
I soon got bored with politics and, because at school I’d excelled in golf, canoeing, rugby and athletics, wanted to pursue studies in sports development. After a few months of discussions they agreed, and in 2007 I went to China.
I came back home after one year in China and decided to study golf through the Professional Golfers Association (PGA).
That’s where I got the skills in golf and inspiration to revive a golf course in Emmarentia, Johannesburg. It was, however, closed down after two years because the Central Gauteng Golf Union had issues with the pricing (it was lower than the rest to accommodate more black people). We went to court and I was given merit for my work. I was also given the opportunity to take the matter to court again, but I chose not to and settled everything out of court.
I’m always intrigued by what I can do next with my life, so I decided to acquire one more skill and make a business out of it before I reach the age of 30.
I’ve always been fascinated by aviation therefore, together with five partners, we started Native Airways – a proudly South African private aviation company that offers personal jets and helicopters as well as skyline advertising. We fly both domestic and international routes and cater to individual, political or business needs.
Because I couldn’t fly, I had to hire out pilots, which proved costly to the business; so I enrolled into Superior Pilot Services and qualified as a pilot. I now work for Native Airways. One of the great things about the airline is our Female Bursary Fund, which we recently started to assist girls who want to study aviation and become oflots. Right now, business is going according to plan, and we’re on our way to the top. For more information on Native Airways, contact lights@nativeairways.co.za.
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