Khayelitsha woman makes waves in male-dominated maritime industry
Today is International Day for Women in Maritime.
Crystal Orderson chats to maritime professional, Faye Kula.
Listen to their conversation in the audio clip below.
International Day for Women in Maritime is observed annually on 18 May.
The day seeks to raise the profile of women in maritime while promoting their recruitment, retention and sustained employment in the sector.
The maritime industry is often seen as male-dominated but there seems to be an increase in the number of women entering the space.
One such woman is Faye Kula.
Kula, who hails from Khayelitsha in Cape Town, started her maritime journey at the age of 15 at the Lawhill Maritime Centre.
"Maritime found me."
- Faye Kula, maritime professional
"I was in grade nine at Voortrekker High School in Wynberg and my pastor at the time let me know about the opportunity at Lawhill, and I applied and got a bursary. In 2019, that's when my journey started with the Lawhill Maritime Centre. I was introduced into maritime and it's been my first love since then."
- Faye Kula, maritime professional
While acquiring knowledge and skills at the Centre, she noticed that the industry lacked females and people of colour.
Kula says at first she was scared of the water...
"...because as black people we are not really accustomed to being close to the water or even going to the beach, you'll probably go during holidays or December time but when I actually got to learn that this is actually an international industry, that there are people making a career out of it, I thought you know what, I want to be at sea."
- Faye Kula, maritime professional
Kula now has more than ten years of maritime experience under her belt.
She was recently awarded a scholarship to study online for the internationally-recognised BSc in Maritime Business degree offered by the Business College of Athens (BCA) and the South African Maritime Training Academy (SAMTRA).
"The maritime industry is fast-paced, it is ever-changing, so you need to keep on being relevant - you need to stay relevant at all times."
- Faye Kula, maritime professional
Scroll up to listen to the full interview.