Senamile Masango

"When my teacher explained astronauts to us, it was fascinating to learn that there are people who can leave this dimension and go to the moon. When I learned that no one in Africa had ever traveled into space, that is when I fell in love with science. I wanted to create history and be the first to travel to space and was so hurt when Mark Shuttleworth beat me to it,"

"This was a life-changing experience for me as it is every scientist’s dream to go to CERN. The competition for spaces is too high and everyone from Professors to Doctors want to go there. To be there makes one hungry for knowledge and success and it remains one of my greatest achievements. I learned a lot there."

"I knew that it was not the end of the world and I had to pick myself up, accept my failure, and learn from it. My family also supported me and this helped me pull through."

"It was her first day at a new school. She left in the morning and never came back. What kept me going was my faith in God. He has greater plans for my life and I know that he can never give me what I cannot handle."

"The 25 years of freedom have not removed barriers to young women advancing in the science technology, engineering, and mathematics fields. No one believes in you and you constantly need to prove yourself first that you can do the job and belong here. It’s worse when you are black. What works for me is that I have a never-say-die spirit and want to break barriers."

"Young people need to be taught from a young age that there is no easy way in life and the road to success is never easy. There will always be obstacles but with determination and hard work, these can be overcome."

"The world needs fearless women like myself who can avail themselves and serve as mentors for young women because having a mentor early on can help them build confidence."

"My late father, Dr M J Masango, is one of them. Nine years after his passing I still live by his teachings. He grew up in the apartheid era in a poor family without a father, but that didn’t stop him from achieving his dreams."

"The biggest challenge in my career is my skin colour. If you look like me, no-one believes in you; you must prove that you know your job and that you can think! There are still very few black women scientists. This means women like me have to work twice as hard to prove their worth."

"Girls are discouraged at an early age from taking science subjects; it is the root cause of the lack of women in the nuclear space."

"Ms Masango's was a beacon of hope for many young people, especially women. Her passion for developing critical skills among the population and women in science in particular, will be sorely missed,"

"As the country's first black nuclear scientist, Masango's remarkable achievements paved the way for future generations of scientists and inspired countless young minds. Masango's tireless efforts to promote science education and empowerment, particularly among women and disadvantaged communities, will be deeply missed."

"Senamile Masango was more than a nuclear scientist; she was a beacon of hope and inspiration to countless young women aspiring to pursue careers in science and technology. Her passing is a profound loss not only to her family, friends, and colleagues but to the entire country. Her contributions to the National System of Innovation (NSI) will forever remain part of South Africa’s scientific and developmental legacy,"