Five things that SA loved about our Afronaut, Mandla Maseko

South Africans are mourning the death of Mandla Maseko, who placed as one of the winners of a year-long gruelling competition put on by the AXE Apollo Academy in Florida, USA, would have been the first black African, and one of only 23 winners to bag a seat on a flight on a sub-orbital space plane. Maseko died on Saturday after being involved in a motorcycle accident.

Here are five things about him that South Africans loved...

Ambition

From Mabopane to space, Maseko did not let his background keep him from pursuing what he believed he could achieve. Among other things, the competition required the entrants to take and send pictures of themselves climbing a wall, and that is how it all began for Maseko. 

Perseverance 

Maseko told TimesLIVE six years ago that he almost gave up in the competition but was determined to keep fighting. "I haven't been so excited in my life! To think I almost gave up on entering the competition. Buzz Aldrin, one of the five astronauts who assessed Maseko, said he was looking for enthusiasm and knowledge of space travel, and Maseko had these qualities and more.

A good heart

While condolences from strangers continue to pour in, those who knew him personally have described him as someone who was loving, kind, and wore his heart on his sleeve. Maseko's Instagram page shows this to be true. The SA Air Force candidate loved his job -- and he loved people.

History-making Afronaut

After winning the competition, Maseko earned himself the name 'Afronaut', as he would have been the first black African to go into space. His mother told TimesLIVE at the time that she had always known that Mandla would be a star. "When I was pregnant with Mandla, I knew I was going to give birth to a star."

A many-talented man

Maseko wore many hats, and his narrative is one of dogged determination, even in the face of life's difficulties. Before the competition win, Maseko, unable to afford the fees, had to drop out of his engineering studies. He was a DJ before the AXE Apollo competition, and after winning, Maseko went on to train as a pilot, became an SANDF corporal, and joined the Tshwane Legend bikers' club.