Nuclear scientist drops princess title to blaze her own trail

Senamile Masango has reached great heights in nuclear science, is expanding her business interests and is inspiring the youth

Senamile Masango says she is a princess by birth; however, she doesn’t have to hang on to titles, as she has blazed her own trail.

This nuclear scientist and businessperson comes from Nongoma in Zululand, KwaZulu-Natal and hasn’t forgotten her roots.

Her tenacity, determination and ability has brought her a long way despite losing her dad, Dr Mphathisithele Jotham Masango, at a young age and the extreme grief at the loss of her daughter Sindisiwe, seven, in 2016.

Masango, 37, now a Durbanville, Cape Town resident, still has ambitions to be the first African-born black woman to travel to space. Her journey into science was motivated by her desire to be an astronaut and to study about the universe.

She was a child prodigy who entered first year at university at the age of 16.

“My father wanted me to be a doctor. However, in Grade 8 I fell in love with astronomy. I wanted to go to the moon because I learnt about astronauts at high school. Nuclear science is not far from astronomy. We are also studying about the universe, just in a different way.”

Raised in a family that prioritises education, her father was a chief director. Previously, it was called a chief inspector around Zululand. He planted the seed in her to put her studies first and, as a result, she was a model pupil who rarely went out. Her dad died in 2010; however, she still lives by his teaching.

“My upbringing influenced me. I was from a strict family. I went to boarding school and there were no sleepovers whatsoever. I was that child who was always at home watching television… Where I grew up there was no electricity. We used to have a generator at home because everyone in our family looked to my father because he was well known. My father had three wives and my mother was the last,” she says.

“Almost everyone in my family was a teacher. Some people think nothing good can come out of a public school. I proudly attended public school in a deep rural area,” she adds.

Structured

After matriculating, she did BSc Electronics and Physics. However, she couldn’t her finish degree in record time. She believes with freedom comes responsibility and that discipline must be maintained.

“University meant freedom, free from home and the Roman Catholic boarding school I attended. In order to lead, you must lead yourself first. Time management is critical as a leader. Living a structured life is essential,” she says.

Unfortunately, she failed her degree due to pregnancy in her third year in 2007. In 2008 she gave birth to a daughter and went into teaching with her degree on hold. In 2009, she went back to finish her degree. Her dad was sick at the time with heart issues; she received news that Dr Masango had passed. He died before her graduation.

Tragedy struck in a big way for her in 2016 when her daughter died in a car accident at the age of seven. It was her only child and she has had none since.

This bright spark relocated to Cape Town to pursue her studies in nuclear physics. She did Honours, registered at UniZulu in affiliation with the University of the Western Cape (UWC). She passed with an average of 67% but was not happy, as she was aiming for more.

“By God’s grace I passed. It wasn’t easy, as I was still mourning the loss of my daughter. The lecturers were very supportive. I did my masters at UWC and passed cum laude. My PhD is still on hold,” she says.

Energy space

As a businessperson, Masango operates in the energy space, corporate governance, climate change and cybersecurity, among others.

She is a director at a South African energy corporation and a chairperson of research and development. She is also the founder of the Senamile Masango Foundation. “I am proud of this because it is for the advancement of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM),” she says.

“In academia, we prioritise publishing papers, while the industry is crying for practical solutions. The solutions are sitting there in the library. I want to bridge the gap between academia and industry. I have a consulting company, too, which deals with energy solutions.

“Energy is at the centre of our economy. We cannot do anything without energy and water. Water is critical. I am concerned about climate change. There were rivers where I grew up and all those rivers have dried up due to climate change. We need to take care of our universe and our society,” she says.

Masango is in favour of clean coal technology. She says that some environmentalists are against it, asking where the CO2 emissions would be stored.

“Countries like China still use their coal. In Richard’s Bay they export coal. I do believe in renewables. It’s up to the end user, what is going to be best for them. South Africa is strong when it comes to nuclear. It is one of the cleanest energies. Environmentalists are against the waste; however, it is manageable. We have never had any incident here in SA,” she says.

Once she entered the corporate world, Masango fell in love with the boardroom. “It’s where I operate now; however, I am scientist, and I believe young people must keep developing themselves to ensure they contribute meaningfully in the boardroom.

“I specialise in energy in terms of policies. I am affiliated with Wits Business School where I did my energy leadership. I have recently come from GIBS Business School. As a country, we need to invest more in science, research and development. Science can solve our problems.”

She says she has had the privilege to address President Cyril Ramaphosa and was very straightforward about science utilisation.

“Many of the younger generation are afraid of science. I have been to primary schools to share what I am doing,” she says.

Masango was the first African woman to be part of an African-led team conducting experiments at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva, Switzerland.

She received congratulations from then President Jacob Zuma around August 2017. She was also invited to parliament to address the issues of girls in STEM, which she is passionate about.

Her data was collected in Canada while she was a UWC student. “UWC is known, but it’s not like your UCT and Stellenbosch. I always highlight UWC because it made me who I am. It’s only now where I am affiliated with business schools… All along I was in universities that were undermined and seen as disadvantaged.”

Competent and valuable

With her goal to uplift Africa and the global community, Masango foresees some challenges.

“Gender is still a serious issue. We must not be confined to our gender. As women we must show that we are competent and valuable. We can be appointed to positions because we are women; however, we need to be competent, too.

“I am working hard to develop myself. The reading doesn’t stop. Whether you are male or female, you have to subscribe to good quality publications. You have to know what is happening. Politics affects us all. You have to know global, national and local politics.

“I call myself the Esther of today. Esther in the Bible saved her nation. That’s what I want to do: save my nation when it comes to energy matters and the water crisis,” she says.

Masango considers herself a visionary leader and an authentic leader.

“There’s only black and white. No sugar coating. I am a principled woman. I always stand with the truth. I have a backbone. Some people don’t have a backbone and this is what’s lacking in the corporate world. Some people pick sides, there are factions. If you don’t perform, there are consequences. However, you are leading a person and people have feelings. They are not robots. You have to ensure you have empathy as a leader. You put yourself in the other person’s shoes. There’s a lot of stress because people are going through something. I have tough love; however, tough love is not always the solution,” she says.

Masango does CrossFit and enjoys running, too – mostly 10km races and some Parkruns.

She spoke about her royal lineage, saying she is a princess by birth from her mother’s side. “My mom is related to the Zulu royal family. My mother is Zulu. I don’t use that title. I am a proudly Masango. I hate titles. It’s only when I am trying to inspire the youth, then I say I am a nuclear scientist.”

Clearly titles are not that important for her as she blazes her trail, maybe even all the way to outer space.

Allister Arendse

Editor: African Business Quarterly