The South African woman who was too short to be a flight attendant and started her own airline instead
Sibongile Rejoyce Sambo is the founder and owner of SRS Aviation, a luxury private charter airline, and the first black-owned aviation company to earn an air operating certificate in South Africa.
Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) describes Sambo as a competent, committed, and very experienced senior executive.
She is also highly regarded for her comprehensive knowledge and understanding of various industries and sectors, including aerospace, mining, telecommunications, and manufacturing.
Sambo was born in the town of Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga, in 1974 and became interested in aircraft while watching planes and helicopters fly overhead as a child.
After school, she applied to South African Airways to become a flight attendant but was rejected because she did not meet the minimum height requirement.
Major commercial airlines apply height standards to ensure that attendants can reach overhead compartments and oxygen masks without assistance.
The minimum height requirement may vary from one airline to another, but it is typically 1.55 to 1.6 metres.
While SAA’s rejection would be a setback, it would ultimately take Sambo on an even more ambitious journey in the aviation industry.
Sambo completed a Bachelor of Business Administration at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (then called the College of Zululand) in 1997.
Her first job out of university was as a Human Resources performance consultant at Telkom in late 1998 and 1999.
In 2000, she joined Johannesburg’s City Power as recruitment manager, where she also worked for two years.
Following a stint as HR change manager at De Beers Consolidated Mines, she completed a postgraduate diploma in general management.
Leveraging her expertise in business and leadership, and money lent to her by her mother and aunt, she founded SRS Aviation in 2004, initially as an aviation services brokerage.
By 2006, the company had earned an Air Operating Certificate from the South African Civil Aviation Authority, a first for a black-owned aviation company in the country.
Obtaining the certificate required passing an evaluation that confirmed SRS Aviation’s aircraft were safe and airworthy.
The company’s first big deal was a cargo transport contract with the South African government, which it ran in collaboration with a competing bidder.
That paved the way for an expansion into private charters for VIPs, heads of state, celebrities, sporting teams, and peace-keeping missions across Africa.
In 2009, she established fuel company SRS Petroleum, which she led until 2018. She secured a petroleum wholesale licence from the South African government in 2015.
While she still owns SRS Aviation, she stepped down as managing director to take up the same position at Centurion-based Aero Metals in 2020.
The company is a dual-source manufacturer and supplier of aerospace parts and components established by Dynamic Aerotech and Aerosud.
Sambo has been a board member of the Commercial Aerospace Manufacturing Association of South Africa (Camsa) since 2019 and a non-executive director of Acsa’s board since 2023.
She has won numerous awards for her achievements, including being named a “Leader of Tomorrow” by Fortune Magazine and receiving the Distinguished Female Business Leader of the Year Award in Dubai in 2014.
She has furthered her education by obtaining her Master’s in Business Administration at GIBS Business School in 2002 and is currently enrolled in Rollins College’s International Executive Development Programme.
In her free time, Sambo is an avid cyclist and traveller. Her career has put her in the company of many legendary personalities, including former President Nelson Mandela.
In a Youmewe podcast interview, Sambo advised aspiring entrepreneurs to go into business with an open mind.
“Know you can have a very good business idea, but be prepared that sometimes the environment will not allow you to achieve it,” she said. “Be flexible. Think out of the box.”
She also believes a good attitude goes a long way. “You will meet people who will try to run you down,” she told Lionesses of Africa.
“You will have cases where you will want to lose your temper. Always having a good attitude will help grow with your business.”
Photos from Sibongile Sambo’s career and life
Loading ...