Online Reporter
Rutendo Nyeve, [email protected]
IT WAS a moment of sheer disbelief.
When United Nations Tourism Secretary General Ms. Shaikha Al Nuwais took to the podium at the 2nd UN Tourism Regional Congress on Women Empowerment in Tourism in Africa on Wednesday, officiated by the First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa, she singled out a name that attracted applause from the audience.
That name was Elizabeth Vavashe.
“Leadership like that does not stay at the top. It reaches people. It changes lives,” Ms Al Nuwais said.
“And yesterday I saw that in action. I met Elizabeth. She has been a helicopter pilot for over twenty years, and when she first qualified, she struggled to find work. Not because she lacked skill, but because the opportunities were not there. Today she does not just fly helicopters. She commands the fleet as Chief Pilot of the Zambezi Helicopter Company right here in Zimbabwe. And that is what happens when opportunity finally meets talent. In an industry where only around 5 percent of pilots are women, her story stayed with me. Because it raises a simple question: how many Elizabeths never got that chance?”
For Elizabeth Vavashe (44), those words were not just a global endorsement.
They were the sound of a dream that had travelled an improbable distance, from the dusty streets of Hwange to the most exclusive helipads in Africa.
Born in Hwange to civil servant parents, her father worked at the Water Department (now ZINWA) and her mother at Zimparks, Elizabeth never imagined she would one day command a fleet of helicopters.
Life was modest but solid.
A typical Matabeleland girl, she grew up with few luxuries but a strong family spine.
She attended Nketa Secondary School before moving to Founders High School for her A-Levels.
Even then, her ambition was surprisingly tame.
“My dream was to be an air hostess and honestly, I knew nothing about that profession either,” she confessed with a laugh.
After her A-Levels at Founders, she joined Zimparks as a ranger in 2001, serving until 2016.
It was there, patrolling wilderness and protecting wildlife, that fate threw her a lifeline.
The Government, through Zimparks, offered a scholarship to study flying in South Africa.
Trained in 2005 and licensed in 2006, Elizabeth became the first female helicopter pilot in Zimbabwe.
She did not stop there.
She became the first female helicopter instructor, the first woman to fly the Robinson 22, Robinson 44, Bell 206, and the AW139, and the first female helicopter test pilot.
Today, she boasts over 3 500 flying hours and holds the title of Chief Pilot at Zambezi Helicopter Company.
“I am the chief pilot for Zambezi Helicopter Company. I was trained by the Government of Zimbabwe and Parks and Wildlife under a scholarship that Parks and Wildlife was offering, and I was trained in South Africa to fly helicopters. So I became a pilot 21 years ago. While I was with Parks and Wildlife, I left to join Zambezi Helicopter Company in 2016. So I have been here for nearly nine years
“I am a qualified flight instructor in addition to being a commercial pilot and also a helicopter test pilot. I fly four different helicopters that include the Bell 206 series—the Bell long rangers and the Bell jet ranger. I also fly the Augusta Westland 139, commonly known as the AW139, produced by Leonardo
“I was a recipient of another scholarship from the Women Helicopter International Association called Whirly Girls, in conjunction with Leonardo, the manufacturers of the AW139. I got that scholarship in 2023, which is how I have the license to fly the 139. I’m licensed in South Africa and here in Zimbabwe,” she said.
Elizabeth is also an accountant and currently working to get an MBA.
She said she enjoys learning new things, discovering the world.
“Here at Zambezi Helicopter Company, I love what we represent, the bridge between tourism and aviation, and the opportunities for women. We recently managed to get another lady pilot to join the team. We are a team of nine pilots, including the accountable manager who is also a helicopter pilot.
This company is a launch ground for aviation. We are also training technicians to boost the industry. We have one of the best helicopter facilities in this region of Africa, licensed under seriously strict rules monitored by the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe,” she said.
For a girl from Nketa Secondary who once thought air hostess sounded glamorous without knowing why, Elizabeth Vavashe has rewritten what is possible.
She is proof that in Zimbabwe, talent can rise, but only if opportunity meets it halfway and thanks to a UN Secretary General who noticed, the world is finally watching her soar.
But the road to breaking records came with a painful shadow.
During an interview, this reporter asked about another trailblazer,Anita Mapiye, the first female pilot in the Air Force of Zimbabwe and Elizabeth’s composure cracked.
Her eyes grew watery. Tears threatened.
Anita Mapiye tragically died in an AFZ helicopter crash.
For Elizabeth, that loss is not just history. It is a wound that flight hours cannot heal.
May her soul rest in peace!
