'Helicopter Man' an artful engineer in his own right

Hendrick Chebanga is 30 years old and hails from Zimbabwe. He came to South Africa in search of a better life, has no tertiary education and no formal job.

Yet, he built a helicopter. Not one that can fly, but one that caught the attention of aviation experts. Using corrugated iron and other scrap metal, Chebanga built a life-size replica of a police helicopter in the backyard of his shack, meticulously attending to the finest details.

WATCH | Meet the man who built a helicopter in his backyard

His story is heartbreaking and inspiring at the same time. Imagine if a talented soul such as Chebanga had the opportunity and all the resources to attend a tertiary institution and fulfil his dream to study engineering; imagine the success he would have made of his life.

Each year, high-profile publications such as Time magazine list the Top 100 most influential people in the world. More often than not it is well-known people who make the cut, but take a moment to appreciate the thinking and planning that went into the little-known Chebanga's project.

Lack of resources did not deter him.

"The Helicopter Man", as he is known in his community, said he started out in South Africa making and selling toy cars, but soon turned his attention into designing a helicopter, working 12 hours a day for eight months.

He then started charging curious passersby cash to pose with his creation, which ended up in the display section of the Pretoria West police college.

Now Chebanga is on the radar of Grand Central Airport, a private airfield in Midrand, which offered him a helicopter flight and is also looking at training him.

He said: "I am encouraged that my work is noticed by people operating the real helicopters. This means I am on to something."

All along, he was working with a plan.

It is high time Southern Africa started celebrating its own list of influential people, and those like Chebanga should hover at the top.