It was Michelle Obama who once said, “There is no limit to what we as women can accomplish”.
This rings true for ship's master at the Robben Island Museum (RIM), Winny Tambani.
When she was 5-years-old, Tambani aspired to be a pilot. Today, she is grateful that her reality is not far off from her childhood dream.
Tambani said she loves every moment of her job, but some challenges arise from being a woman in leadership.
“We often encounter men who don’t appreciate taking instructions from women, especially in a field that is largely dominated by men,” she said.
She added: “I want to encourage the girl child to dream beyond what her friends, family and society say is possible. It can be done with hard work."
As the ship’s master, she is responsible for every operational aspect of the ship, its crew, passengers and cargo. Each day that the trips are open, she sails from the mainland to Robben Island and back.
Tambani said it was her love for the ocean that influenced her career choice.
“I enjoy manoeuvring the vessel, directing the crew and ensuring procedural compliance by keeping strict logbooks,” she said.
“This is all in the interest of safe maritime travel and to provide an incredible experience for our guests,” she added.
Globally, women are estimated to make up only 2% of the maritime workforce according to the International Maritime Organisation (IMO)
Robben Island Museum (RIM) CEO, Abigail Thulare, said these global trends can be changed.
“They can be meaningfully changed when each player in the industry does their part to promote gender transformation,” she said.
“RIM actively drives a transformation agenda through our cadetship project, which is geared to create more opportunities for women operations,” she added.