Siya Xuza was born in Mthatha in 1989. His innovation in homemade rocket fuel has earned him two grand awards, global recognition and a scholarship to Harvard University.
A minor planet in the main asteroid belt near Jupiter, was renamed “23182 Siyaxuza” in recognition of Xuza’s first place at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in the US. In 2010, he was awarded a Fellowship to the African Leadership Network, the premier, invitation-only community of the most dynamic and influential leaders in Africa.
In 2011, he served as the youngest member of the African Union-affiliated Africa 2.0 Energy Advisory Panel and was recognised by the World Economic Forum as a Global Shaper. In 2017 he was awarded the Order of Mapungubwe, the highest honour bestowed upon a South African citizen, for his excellent contribution to scientific innovation.
As a young boy in Mthatha, Xuza would concoct versions of rocket-fuel’ in his mother’s kitchen – today he is one of South Africa’s most respected engineers. He talks to Gary Van Wyk about those early science experiments, his passion for innovation, and why the onus is on each and every one of us to contribute to Africa’s development.
