Asanda is the Space and stakeholder Liaison Specialist at the South African National Space Agency (SANSA), managing SANSA’s stakeholders locally and abroad. She has recently been appointed as the Acting Managing Director of Earth Observations at SANSA.
She is South Africa’s Assistant National Contact Point for the Space Thematic Areas under the Digital, Industry, & Space theme of the European Union Framework Programme for Research Development and Innovation, Horizon Europe (HE). She is a member of the South African National Earth Observations and Space Secretariat (NEOSS) Strategic Advisory Committee that has been established by the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) to provide strategic guidance and high-level input on potential new or future areas of focus for the Secretariat, to support the needs of the Earth Observation and the space community in South Africa. Asanda is the IAF Vice President for Honours and Awards and a member of the IAF Inclusion, Diversity and Equity Administrative (IDEA) Committee, which is aimed at promoting diversity within the Federation, and the Committee For Liaison with International Organisations and Developing Nations,
Today, Asanda is an expert in strategic space alliances and appreciates and respects government processes. With 15 years of international experience and government relations, Asanda continues to contribute to developing the South African space agenda.