COULD it be the new star wars? The Evening Standard, a London daily newspaper, seems bent on claiming cosmonaut Mark Shuttleworth as a Briton.
As Shuttleworth bobs happily in zero gravity in orbit around Earth, London billboards shouted the news that “Britain’s space tourist” had blasted off. Most media reports hailed the first African in space, but if you had read The Evening Standard you would have been forgiven for thinking Shuttleworth was British.
The website of the mass-circulation Evening Standard newspaper, This is London, trumpeted “Briton buys a ride to space” and then reported that “A London internet millionaire lived his dream today when he blasted off into space aboard a Russian rocket”.
The photograph that is used to illustrate the article shows “Briton” Mark Shuttleworth undergoing training in the landing unit – with a large South African flag stitched to his flying suit.
In paragraph ten, writers James Hansam and Jane Flanagan finally get around to mentioning Shuttleworth’s African connection, saying: “Mr Shuttleworth is determined not to be dismissed as just a wealthy man fulfilling a fantasy. He points out he will be carrying out research experiments on the HIV virus [sic.], a matter of huge concern in South Africa where he was born, where 4,7-million people suffer from Aids”.
The Evening Standard is part of Associated News Media, which publishes the Daily Mail and the Mail on Sunday. It is London’s only evening paper and has a circulation of more than 445 000, with a readership of 1,1-million.
Reacting to the newspaper article, Shuttleworth’s representative Andrew High said: “In truth we all think of Mark as South African and he wouldn’t think of himself as the first British citizen in space. Mark considers himself a South African,” said High.
High conceded that The Evening Standard report could not be faulted on a technical level and the focus on Shuttleworth’s British links were probably an attempt to make the story “more interesting” and “newsworthy” for the British public.
“In fact he has spent very little time in London. He has been in Russia and South Africa for most of the time up to launch. In the last year he has spent a maximum of six weeks in London,” said High.
Shuttleworth moved from Welkom to Cape Town at an early age and was schooled at the upmarket private school Bishops. He attended university at the University of Cape Town (UCT).
His journey has also received a flurry of accolades from South African leaders. President Thabo Mbeki called him “a courageous pioneer for South Africa and his continent, Africa” while deputy president Jacob Zuma said he was brave and made South Africa proud.
But Britain’s claim is technically a legitimate one. Interactive Africa, which manages Shuttleworth’s space initiative, confirmed he does have dual nationality – his father was born in Britain. He also recently moved his business base to London.
Despite these UK connections, project manager Andre Bezuidenhout stressed that the voyage was definitely an African one.
He said: “Mark was born in Africa, grew up in Africa and is the first African in space”.
Bezuidenhout pointed out that the space rocket had a South African flag firmly painted on its side. He said: “Tell them [the British] to fund their own space race”.
Shuttleworth’s whole intention is to encourage the natural sciences in South Africa and the African continent and to promote the study of maths and science, he said. “If he does that for Britain too, that’s good. But he’s definitely not flying under a British flag.”
Other UK publications seem to adopt a less parochial approach to Africa’s first space mission and crowning achievement, but didn’t hesitate to mention Shuttleworth’s brief London connection.
An article on the Guardian’s website Guardian Unlimited acknowledges that Shuttleworth is indeed a South African in the second paragraph, but goes on to add that he is “a London-based internet magnate”.
Another article under the heading “Cape crusader South African joins space tour” on the same website makes no mention of Shuttleworth’s London connection and describes how the billionaire was “cheered by fellow South Africans” during liftoff.
The website of another major British daily, The Telegraph, inaccurately reports that Shuttleworth was born in Cape Town and then notes that Shuttleworth moved to London after earning his billions.
The same article, titled “Millionaire is first ‘Afronaut'” does generously point out that Shuttleworth is a “native South African”.
An article on the BBC website, titled “First African in Space”, makes no mention of Shuttleworth’s brief London excursions and acknowledges Shuttleworth as “the South African millionaire”.
Meanwhile, responding to enquires as to why his British citizenship had been played up, the newsdesk of The Evening Standard replied tersely that “He is London based”.