DJ Mandla Maseko, who was set to be first black African in space, dies in motorbike crash
- Maseko was nicknamed ‘Afronaut’ after winning the chance to fly into space in 2013 in a competition organised by a US-based space academy
A South African man who won the chance to be the first black African in space has died in a motorbike crash before turning his dream into reality, his family announced on Sunday.
Mandla Maseko, a part-time DJ and candidate officer with the South African Air Force, was nicknamed “Afronaut” after landing a coveted seat to fly 103km (64 miles) into space in 2013 in a competition organised by a US-based space academy.
He died in a motorcycle accident on Saturday, according to a family statement cited by local media.
The 30-year-old beat a million other entrants from 75 countries to be selected as one of 23 people who would travel on an hour-long suborbital trip on the Lynx Mark II spaceship.
Son of a school cleaner and auto tool maker in Soshanguve township near Pretoria, his win was a source of national pride and had neighbours congratulating him for putting South Africa’s townships on the “galactic map”.