South Africa has some of the best pilots and air traffic controllers in the world.
The unrelenting poaching of our nation’s pilots and air traffic controllers by Australia, the United Arab Emirates and other markets is a case in point.
It is encouraging, though, that some of them are coming back home to enrich the aviation sector.
In South Africa there is a beautiful Afrikaans phrase that says: “hulle weet nie wat ons weet nie”.
If you don’t know what it means, well, that is the point: you better ask somebody.
On 4 January 2010, UK-based The Guardian newspaper ran an article headlined “Jacob Zuma weds his third first lady – but not without a hitch”.
The subheading read: “South African president slips and falls during solo dance after marrying Tobeka Madiba in traditional ceremony.”
Had the newspaper asked what that was about, they’d have been told that the alleged ‘slip and fall’ is actually part of the Zulu traditional dance routine.
A few minutes of waiting could also have showcased other participants slipping and falling, a move that could have avoided the embarrassment when it became clear that this was part of the dance routine.
To this end, the low flyover at some of the Springboks’ international rugby matches has become so commonplace that many South Africans were surprised that this is a shock to some of the international media houses.
Moreover, the flypast was a coordinated exercise that included approval from the aviation regulator and careful instructions on the flight path from the air traffic controllers.
The coordination between the pilots, the weather bureau, and the air traffic controllers is the quintessential embodiment of the science and practice of lowering risks to reach the goal of zero fatalities through shared responsibility, technology, and rules.
*Khulu Phasiwe is the Air Traffic and Navigation Services (ATNS) Spokesperson, but writes in his personal capacity. The views expressed by Khulu Phasiwe are not necessarily those of The Bulrushes
