The third season is dedicated to shedding light on a number of brilliant young South Africans. Xuza was selected for the project in order to demonstrate that hard work and dedication can make people overcome any barriers and adversity to become the best they can be.
“I am an example of what happens when you give young South Africans opportunities. When you follow your passion, shut out noise that can distract you and you are true to yourself, you achieve greatness,” Xuza explained to the project’s principal photographer, Gary Van Wyk.
Xuza grew up in a small township, North Crest, in Mthata in the Eastern Cape. “I’m proud of Mthatha, I’m proud of where I’m from. It’s part of my identity and it’s a reflection of the talent in South Africa, which does not lie in typical places. There’s talent everywhere.”
A curious child, he began experimenting with alternative fuels in his mother’s kitchen at the tender age of five. He revealed his inspiration came from watching an aeroplane fly overhead during the 1994 elections. He wanted to build his own but realised that he would first need fuel to launch it.
This exploration would culminate in a science project during high school that would later develop into a cheaper and safer rocket fuel. His high school research sought to harness solar technologies to generate clean affordable energy and, in time, his work as an energy engineer won him a scholarship to Harvard University in the Unites States. In fact, his work was so remarkable that Nasa-affiliated Lincoln Laboratory named a minor planet after him!
See Xuza’s short film preview here:
“Education is freedom. Education transformed my life. For me education was critical. I am using [my freedom] to be an ambassador of possibility. Using my talent to the best of my abilities.” He further added that South Africans can’t afford to become complacent, as we still have a lot more to do.
His portrait is entitled Within Reach and will appear on the 21 Icons website on 7 February. Van Wyk explained the visual elements behind the enchanting picture.
“At Cape Town Science Centre in Woodstock, Xusa is photographed inside their planetarium. His face visible through a constellation of stars. The portrait speaks to his early explorations of science and the minor planet – 23182 Siyaxusa – named in his honour, and is a tribute to his assertion that it is in reaching for the stars that we will ultimately achieve greatness.”
“I always want people to see me as a person who kept failing and failing and eventually succeeded; because that’s the true story of my success. It didn’t come overnight,” Xuza concluded.
Xuza’s full short film will be aired on SABC 3 on 7 February at 7.27pm, with a repeat shown the next day at 5.57pm on the same channel.
Details: www.21Icons.com
