Pretoria - Mandla Maseko, who was set to be the first black African in space, died in a motorcycle accident on Saturday night, his family said.

"Maseko - popularly known as Spaceboy and Afronaut - beat 1 million people to become one of 23 people who won a seat sponsored by the Axe Apollo Space Academy on an hour-long suborbital trip in 2014," the family said in a statement on Sunday.

However, the trip had not yet happened at the time of his death, according to media reports.

"Maseko, 30, a Soshanguve native, went on to train as a private pilot and became a corporal in the South African National Defence Force [SANDF]," the family statement said.

"As a public speaker and community worker, Maseko worked to inspire many African children to pursue careers in science. His community work saw him join the Corsa Utility Club Mzansi. [He was] an avid biker with the Tshwane Legend Bikers."