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Robert Mukondiwa in PRETORIA, South Africa
The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence may have come and gone but there is a fresh year and lifelong pursuit that Big Time Strategic Group boss Justice Maphosa has in mind; giving girls wings!

Literally.

In his quest to break down the barriers that favour boys in African patriarchy, the South African-based Zimbabwean businessman now deliberately has a programme in which he develops girl pilots in the aviation arm of his business.

“We are training girls to fly us. We want more and more girls to be pilots and show that they can enter that field just as their male counterparts,” he said.

It is a man’s world and Maphosa is unhappy with that and is preaching equality for the sexes and equal opportunities.

“We have girls that we are currently sponsoring in our education and bursary programme that they may become trained and qualified pilots. Let it be a free world in which both boys and girls can compete equally with equal skills,” he said.

Having started off as a purely 100 percent I.T company five years ago, Big Time Strategic Group has diversified now leaving only 7 percent as being I.T with fresh innovations being crafted one of which is a handsome aviation section to the business.

It is here that girls are being mentored to become torch bearers and to reach for the sky in the most literal of fashion.

“When a girl achieves, she becomes a torch and she shines and inspires others as well. That is why we are investing in girls. They are the future of humanity,” said Maphosa.

Inobubele Marvellous Dube, one of the recipients of the programmes scholarships has been shining in her pursuit of a professional pilots’ licence and has become the moving breathing testimony of how life-changing this programme can be for girls who dream of the big stage.

Maphosa says it is his life’s purpose to make dreams come true in education of girls and marginalised people.

He even has a dream about his death and epitaph!

“I don’t want my obituary to talk about how many parties I attended. Or what cars I drove and what company I kept. It should not be about the money I made in business,” he said.

“Rather I want to be remembered for the people I managed to help. The lives I touched and helped change in my own little way. I want to leave a legacy of competence among my people. To break the cycle of poverty through education. One day we will leave all this behind. It is vanity of vanities. That is why I am happy to help others,” he says.

“It cleanses my soul!”