Emily Sakulwa finally got her wings this week and while it took her more than 100 years, she did it without a sip of any energy drink – and that’s no bull.
Born just 15 years after Orville Wright pioneered the world’s first manned flight, the Dimbaza (northwest of King William's Town) centenarian at last achieved her dream of flying on Wednesday when she took her first flight, between East London and Cape Town.
And for Sakulwa, who turned 100 in March, the occasion presented both the thrill of being airborne for the first time and the opportunity to see her family, including her children and grandchildren, most of whom live in Cape Town and its surrounds.
Kulula.com, which “proudly gifted the magic of flying” to Sakulwa, said on Thursday that the opportunity had arisen from a discussion on Talk Radio 702 when celebrating Nelson Mandela’s centenary birthday on July 18.
Kulula heard a radio conversation around Sakulwa’s wish to fly and decided to give her her #wingstofly.
The airline said it had partnered with Europecar to provide her with the best possible flying experience, and with the necessary arrangements, Sakulwa flew to the Cape Town International Airport.
“It has always been our mission since launching to give all South Africans #wingstofly,” Kulula.com’s brand communications manager Luane Lavery said.
“We knew instantly when overhearing the conversation about Emily not having flown before at the age of 100, that we wanted to get involved and make the magic of flying possible for her.
“As South Africa’s first lowcost airline we still want to make flying affordable and accessible to all South Africans, while making it fun to travel across South Africa,” she said.
One of the grandchildren who had called into the radio station, Zethu Msindo, said: “I am so excited for her and seeing the great welcoming that was arranged for her at the airport made me happy and so emotional at the same time.”
Commenting on the experience, Sakulwa said she had been overwhelmed and was in good spirits.
The flight had been everything she had always dreamed of, she said.
Speaking from Paarl on Thursday, while seated next to Sakulwa, her 35-year-old granddaughter Cijizwa Fukulwa said the entire family was grateful and delighted with kulula and the opportunity the airline had given them and their grandmother – “who could not remember when last she had seen her family”.
“And no, she never drank a Red Bull or any other energy drink to get her wings,” Fukulwa said, chuckling.
After her story had spread to social media, her grandmother said: “I feel like a star.”
“She had a window seat so she could see everything and she was so excited. She was not afraid at all,” Fukulwa said.
“We really thank those who made this all possible.”
Sakulwa returns to East London via Johannesburg on Wednesday.