During his June 2008 school holidays, Masi was sponsored by Icon to travel to Namibia where he joined up with mentor Karin Retief and writer Jo Ann Smetherham. They traveled to the north to do a story on the desert elephant and then to the Namib desert where they did a story on the Topnaar people who live there.

Masi learned hands on how to investigate a story, work with a writer and document images under difficult situations. The images he took will be presented on an equal platform with Karin's to publications and should any be published, the payment will go to him directly.

Masi has been with the Icon project since the age 14, joining up while living at his former orphanage in Mfuleni. He is now 20 and will finish school at the end of 2009. He now lives in Woodstock at the Beth Uriel "House of Light" project.