South Africans are paying tributes to their “favourite teacher", William Smith, who has died aged 85.

The beloved maths and science teacher and innovator died on Wednesday morning after a short battle with cancer, his family said.

The renowned teacher hosted a learning programme on state broadcaster SABC for years, which is said to have touched the hearts of many South Africans.

He received many accolades in his life for innovation in learning, including a national award in 2019 given by President Cyril Ramaphosa for his contribution to "teaching and demystifying mathematics and science".

President Ramaphosa described the “favourite teacher” as “an education and cultural icon to our nation”.

“William Smith’s passion for his curriculum and for the success of those he taught in classrooms, at matric camps and on TV benefited millions of young South Africans even before our transition to democracy and the dawn of a new dispensation of equal education,” he said.

He is hailed for making maths and science education available for free to millions of children through the ground-breaking 1990s TV programme Learning Channel, which he convinced SABC to air.

The presidency describes the programme as "essentially an open South African school teaching physical science, mathematics, biology and English".

It gave disadvantaged pupils access to free extra classes, said to be the only high-quality instruction some received at the time.

One of the children watching was Johan Ferreira, now a professor at the University of Pretoria statistics department.

He told the BBC that Mr Smith had an “astounding effect", adding that "the inspiration that he elicited [showed] that anyone is able to or can understand science”.

He said that nowadays children have access to lots of material to help them learn but Mr Smith was ahead of his time.

“I like to think of William Smith as the original science content creator of South Africa.”

Some people have taken to social media to laud Mr Smith as the reason they were successful in the subjects.

"William Smith got me through high school maths and science. What a legend and national treasure," said Wendy Verwey Bekker on X.

"It felt like we knew this man personally. Thank you, Mr William Smith for all those very narrow passes in Maths that would not have been passes at all without you. Sorry we never paid you any school fees," said Roy Petzer.

Zola Hashatsi ka Motsiri said Mr Smith "guided countless of us through high school maths with his TV lessons, leaves behind a legacy cherished by many South Africans".

During his life he also earned the national “Teacher of the Year” award as well as being voted one of the top three presenters on South African television in 1998 for his teaching programme. In 2004 he was voted 86th on the list of the Top 100 Great South Africans.

After retiring, he moved with his family to Australia where he died.

He was surrounded by his family during his final moments, his daughter Jessica Smith told South African news outlet News24.

She said the family was mourning him but also celebrating his legacy, adding that it was inspiring to see how other people were celebrating him.

He is survived by his wife, Jenny, his three daughters and five grandchildren.