Mandla Maseko, who could have been the first black African in space, died in a motorcycle accident on Saturday night.
"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," his family said in a statement on Sunday.
However, the trip had not yet happened at the time of his death, according to media reports.
According to the statement, 30-year-old Maseko of Soshanguve went on to train as a private pilot and became a corporal in the South African National Defence Force.
"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.
- African News Agency (ANA)
