The Xhosa Boy Who Created Rocket Fuel In His Mom’s Kitchen
This is the story of Siyabulela Lethuxolo Xuza, who went on to create rocket fuel in his mom’s kitchen and eventually have a planet named after him by NASA. He didn’t have a laboratory or scientific equipment, yet he dared to dream big. The sky is not the limit for him, there is still space.
Siya’s story begins in the town known as Mthatha, which is the main town of the King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The municipality is named after Chief Sabata Dalindyebo, a supreme chief of the Thembu. His moral authority was said to be ever so potent. Alone among his fellow-chiefs, he resisted the power and luxury which he was entitled to. He wasn’t afraid to call out wrong where he saw it. He was a powerful and highly influential speaker. He spoke against the state president at the time and the Apartheid regime lead government. This landed him up in jail, and in exile. He died in Exile in Zambia in 1986. His brother Jongintaba raised Nelson Mandela when his own father died in the 1920s. So the Eastern Cape is coated in excellence and has produced many greats such as Siya Kholisi and King Dalindyebo. Mthatha specifically was the birthplace of Nelson Mandela and Black Coffee. So the town in which Siya Xuza was born in, was also the birthplace of many of history’s legends.
Destiny and excellence are in the air in Mthatha. It was in this town that one day a young Siya Xuza gazed up at the sky and saw a Cessna plane flying overhead dropping election pamphlets. He was fascinated by this marvel of technology that was flying above his head and began chasing the plane. He was not only chasing the plane but from that point on he began chasing his wildest dreams. Unlike other people’s dreams though, little did he know in the future his would become true. The sight of that technological advancement ignited a passion for technology inside of him, after that day his life would never be the same again because on that day he gained the ability to chase his dreams unrelentingly until he eventually came close enough to lightly graze them with his fingertips.
At age 16 he began experimenting with rocket fuel (that he made) in his mom’s kitchen. After 6 months and a staggering 77 failed launch attempts, he launched his first rocket, “The Phoenix.” It flew to an altitude of over 1km! It went on to win multiple awards at the Eskom Expo and at the International Science and Engineering Fair.
He was then awarded a scholarship to the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Physics. He there conducted research on making cheaper solar cells and did research on solar technology. He went on to become the youngest member of the Africa Energy Advisory Panel (affiliated with the AU) and also became the Total South Africa Energy ambassador as well as the Audi brand ambassador.
Then what happened next in July 2000 was absolutely astonishing. NASA named a minor planet after him, in recognition of his innovation in rocket fuels. He also received the highest honour in South Africa, the “Order of Mapungubwe.” Even though he went on to become a successful businessman, he still stayed in touch with his roots. He is an accomplished Xhosa praise singer, even singing for Nelson Mandela on one occasion.
So here is a boy who purchased the world and had the audacity to ask for his change. He did not have any lab equipment, all he had was his mom’s kitchen and that’s all that he needed.
I am an example of what happens when you give a young South African opportunities. ~ Siya Xuza
Now in modern-day South Africa, I fear that there are 3 things that are killing the people of our nation.
- Inferiority Complexes
- Little Access To Resources
- Deformed education system
- Inferiority Complexes
Black Consciousness seeks to infuse the black community with a new-found pride in themselves, their efforts, their value systems, their culture, their religion and their outlook to life. ~Steve Biko
Now when South Africans grow up, they are exposed to western culture. They end up throwing away their own heritage and culture like it’s a piece of tissue. As Steve Biko said you should never forget your culture and value systems because then essentially you have lost the definition of who you are. You shouldn’t see your culture and background as inferior once you are exposed to the western culture, because that’s the essence of an inferiority complex. You are then subconsciously telling yourself that assimilating with the ways of your culture makes you a subservient being. Instead like Siya Xuza take pride in your culture and roots, because it’s out of their fabric that you were woven.
2. Access to Resources
Siya Xuza went to the library and learned all he could about rocket fuels and studied what actually made things fly. That’s how he gained the knowledge that enabled him to experiment with rocket fuel. Nowadays you don’t really have to go to the library, you have all the information available to you in the world — on your cellphone. Now you tell me when areas in South Africa don’t have access to basic sanitation and electricity, do you think they have internet access? How are you supposed to search for information online when you don’t have the power to even charge your cellphone? Even worse, how do you expect a person to pay for wifi services when they are living below the poverty line? Or when they are the only person supporting and providing for a large family off of minimum wage. Unfortunately because of situations like these our children (the children of our nation) are ‘crippled before they even learn how to walk.’ We need to sort out these issues so they have a fighting chance. We need to ensure that everyone has access to information whether through libraries or through public wifi coverage and public computer centres with access to the internet, which is an essential service in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
3. Deformed Education system
Siya Xuza was lucky to get quality education at St John’s College then later on at Harvard University. This undeniably had a massive effect on his success. Now I’m not saying that the tertiary institutions in South Africa are inferior. We actually have state of the art universities in South Africa. On the contrary, I am saying that it is of the utmost importance that a student receives the best education. Now this problem starts at the grassroots level.
In South Africa, we still have an alarming percentage of students walking more than an hour to school. This is not only hazardous for their safety but it means that they are exposed to elements such as rain and thunderstorms. Try teaching a child who has walked more than an hour (through a thunderstorm to school) and then tell me if they are able to focus and apply themselves effectively in class. Now the standard to pass has been lowered to 30%, and 40% for mathematics. The upside to this is that more students will pass matric and it levels out the playing field for those who don’t have access to the resources that privileged students do. The problem comes in when we are pleased with having a high pass rate (and rightfully so) but the reality of things is that students are passing with 30s. The problem now comes in when it’s time to apply for varsity. For mechanical engineering, for example, you need to be getting at least 60% in mathematics and 50% in English just to be considered. To study law you need at least 60% in English to be considered. Now if students are passing with 30s and 40s they are already excluded before they even write the first test! We are setting up our students for failure. Instead of lowering the standard let’s increase the performance of the students and increase their capabilities to meet those requirements. Then even once they get into varsity they are sunken into debt through bursaries that they have to work for the rest of their lives to repay! After walking an hour to school every day, after studying without the resources and still getting your degree and qualification, you still have to pay off your student debt! To make matters worse after all that you are not guaranteed a job because the unemployment rate is sky-high. These are the holes in the education system that need to be looked at and dealt with.
Now not all is doom and gloom. We live in a rainbow nation where there has been significant progress in terms of reform and making sure that everyone in the country enjoys basic human rights, like access to basic education. Siya Xuza is just an example of many proud South African professionals who have been produced from this land and have pushed the boundary of excellence forward. We are one of the few countries where everyone’s voice truly matters rich or poor and where the government, business, and civil society collaborate together to build a stronger nation for all. We must not overlook all of our many many achievements, but at the same time not be blind to the many issues which are still crippling our country today.
