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Transcript/Script((PLAYBOOK SLUG: TV/R - SOUTH-AFRICA-BALLOON-PILOT
HEADLINE: Triumph for South Africa's First Black Hot Air Balloon Pilot
TEASER:
PUBLISHED: 07/xx/2023 at 2:--pm
BYLINE: Zaheer Cassim
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: Johannesburg, South Africa
VIDEOGRAPHER: Zaheer Cassim
PRODUCER: Zaheer Cassim
SCRIPT EDITORS: DLJ, cobus
VIDEO SOURCE (S): VOA
VIDEO APPROVED BY: wpm
TRT: 2:48
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB__ TV _X_ RADIO _X_
EDITOR NOTES: ))
((INTRO)) [[Apartheid ended in South Africa three decades ago, but black people still struggle to enter luxury sports like hot air ballooning. Forty-four-year-old Komane Harold Tjiane is in the process of busting through that ceiling, training to become the country's first black hot air balloon pilot. Zaheer Cassim reports from Johannesburg.]]
((VIDEO-VOA: Tjiane and team working in the dark, getting balloon ready))
((NARRATOR))
In the cold and darkness, Komane Harold Tjiane gets ready for a day’s work of soaring through the skies.
It's been over 20 years in the making, but with the help of the ballooning community, Tjiane is breaking South Africa’s color barrier for hot air balloon pilots.
((Komane Harold Tjiane, Balloon Pilot (English: 33 seconds))
"When I came to ballooning, I was intrigued by the magic of flying at first. Seeing the magic of flying and never realized that hot air can raise things and lift heavy loads of people in it and I was intrigued by all that chemistry and then ... it makes me feel happy to see people so happy, and I wanted to be part of the people who make people happy. Because I feel like if there’s happiness in the world, the world is a better place to live.”
((VIDEO-VOA: Sunrise and the balloon is now visible, going through last checks))
To become a commercial hot air balloon pilot, one must obtain a license and accumulate 100 hours of flying time. Tjiane has passed all his exams and accumulated 40 hours in the air, volunteering for a company.
After he completes his remaining 60 hours, he will be able to get a commercial license and get paid to take people up in the sky.
The cost of accumulating hours is one of the main barriers to getting a license, explains Richard Bovell, chairman of the Balloon and Airship Federation of South Africa.
((Richard Bovell, Balloon and Airship Federation of South Africa)) ((English:18 seconds))
“The biggest cost is obviously the balloon hire and the gas. Unfortunately, gas is linked to the petrol price. So, as we all know, that goes up and down, prolifically so. Yes, it's it is an expensive hobby and that's it, as I said earlier on, there are all the exams that one has to do, these medical exams, etc..., and that the student pilots have to go through.”
((VIDEO-VOA: South Africa Institute of International Affairs shots))
Tjiane's journey towards obtaining his license was made possible through the support of the federation and the ballooning community. They provided him with a balloon to accumulate flying hours and assisted him in securing government funding for his license.
Fellow pilot Marc Nuthall believes that Tjiane's patience and resilience have prepared him to be an exceptional pilot.
((Marc Nuthall, Balloon Pilot (English: 21 seconds))
“You certainly get to read all the weather conditions. You get your equipment. You get your crew. You make sure everything's in place. And then you take off and then, okay, what now? You know, conditions are not quite what the Met gave us. Now you've got to deal with it. It's like life itself. You've got to accept those challenges and do it with a smile on your face.”
((VIDEO-VOA: Ballon takes off, drone shots of balloon in the air))
((NARRATOR))
As the morning unfolds, Tjiane gracefully ascends into the sky, realizing his dream and
elevating the aspirations of South Africans from all walks of life.
((Zaheer Cassim for VOA News, Johannesburg))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Location (dateline)Johannesburg, South Africa
BylineZaheer Cassim
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
