Mandla Maseko (30) died in a tragic motorcycle accident on Saturday July 6 2019. Maseko would have been the first black African in space.

Affectionately dubbed “Spaceboy” and “Afronaut” by proud Africans, Maseko, who grew up in Soshanguve, was going to be the pioneer of space travel for the continent after he won the Axe Apollo Space Academy competition which would see him journeying into space.

Previously Maseko told the BBC, “I wanted to do something that will motivate and inspire the youth of South Africa and Africa as a whole, and hopefully to some extent, the youth worldwide, and show that it doesn’t matter what background you come from, you can have whatever you want as long as you put hard work and determination into it.”

A member of the South African Air Force, Mandla beat a million people to get the spot on the suborbital trip.

Below are some of the tributes that have been pouring in for Maseko and his loved ones from social media users:

Image: Facebook

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