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South Africa

First black African 'heading into space', dies

───   07:52 Mon, 08 Jul 2019

First black African 'heading into space', dies  | News Article

Mandla Maseko, who could have been the first black African in space, has died in a motorcycle accident.


"Maseko - popularly known as Spaceboy and Afronaut - beat 1 million people to become one of 23 people who won a seat sponsored by the Axe Apollo Space Academy on an hour-long suborbital trip in 2014," the family said in a statement on Sunday.

However, the trip had not yet happened at the time of his death, according to media reports.

"Maseko, 30, a Soshanguve native, went on to train as a private pilot and became a corporal in the South African National Defence Force [SANDF]," the family statement said.

"As a public speaker and community worker, Maseko worked to inspire many African children to pursue careers in science. His community work saw him join the Corsa Utility Club Mzansi. [He was] An avid biker with the Tshwane Legend Bikers."

In 2016 he was honoured by the Gauteng Education Department and had the science building at the Curtis Nkondo School of Specialisation named after him.

"Maseko will be sorely missed. May Mandla Maseko’s kind and beautiful soul rest In eternal peace," the family statement said.

Details of his memorial service and funeral would be announced during the course of this week.


African News Agency (ANA)

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