The University of the Western Cape (UWC) mourns the passing of Senamile Masango, an alumnus and scientist who was a trailblazer and broke barriers at UWC across South Africa and the African continent.

Masango was South Africa's first black nuclear scientist and the first African woman to work on the African-led experiment at the most powerful laboratory in the world, the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN).

She was also the founder and chairperson of Women in Science and Engineering in Africa (Wise Africa), an NGO that provides leadership and role models for young people wishing to enter the fields of science and technology. As a young lady from Nongoma, her NGO work was commendable for inspiring distressed and poverty-stricken young people to become scientists like her. Her death is a huge loss for UWC but, most of all, the whole of South Africa because Masango was a beacon of hope for those seeking education.

One of the many tributes that have been paid includes a tribute from Deputy President Paul Mashatile, who said: "Ms Masango 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,"

Masango was a member of the Human Resource Development Council (HRDC), a research team leader representing SA at the BRICS Youth Energy Agency, and served as a member of the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation Ltd (NECSA).

In April 2019, Masango graduated with her Master’s Degree in Nuclear Physics from UWC and at the time, reflected on her academic journey: “My interest in nuclear science really started at Mlokothwa High School in kwaNongoma when I was 11. Our geography teacher, Mr Ziqubu, introduced us to astronauts, which he explained to us as people who travel into space.”


With stars in her eyes, Masango broke the glass ceiling for African women in science. She also empowered others, particularly African women and girls, to pursue their passions and careers in science.

In a 2020 interview, she humorously reflected on her career, saying: “I was so hurt when Mark Shuttleworth beat me to become the first African to make it to space. Hopefully, I’ll meet him and be able to tell him in person.”

Masango’s legacy at UWC lives on in the academic journey of every young woman scientist who studies at and graduates from UWC.

WATCH: Senamile Masango gets cum laude in Nuclear Physics at UWC