By Corlene Barrett
South Africa's first man in space, Mark Shuttleworth, has celebrated his return to the country by jiving with President Thabo Mbeki at a hi-tech reception in his honour in Pretoria.
His parents, Rick and Ronelle, beamed as their son was cheered by admirers on Sunday and as praise was heaped on him.
Mbeki thanked Shuttleworth for all he had done for South Africa and the African continent.
'There is so much to be proud of in South Africa' "There is an indigenous African saying: 'Please hold the sun where it is, so it doesn't set'. Mark's statement to the world is - Here we are, a country and continent that are being reborn, on which the sun will never set.
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"He has shown us that the stars are accessible to us. We are grateful that he had the courage and vision to do what he did," Mbeki said.
Shuttleworth signed autographs and shook hands with his fans.
"It is truly wonderful to be back. During this experience I noticed two beautiful things - seeing Africa from space and seeing Africa as I came in to land on a 747."
Shuttleworth said he was filled with pride walking to the rocket with a badge of the South African flag on his spacesuit.
"There is so much to be proud of in South Africa. On my way here we stopped at a red robot, and a young entrepreneur stepped up to the car and put a small globe on the bonnet. He made me realise two things. One was that entrepreneurship is alive and well in South Africa as he tried to sell me two globes. The other was that the globe seemed to be upside down, with the south pole on top. Then I thought: there is no sign in space saying north should be on top. I think it is time that the southern hemisphere should be on top."
Shuttleworth's parents weren't sure of his future plans. "He always waits for something magical to happen and then he runs with it, but he is always full of ideas.
"He has been achieving amazing things all his life. It is great to know that people have responded so well to what he did," said his mother.
Shuttleworth will welcome the other two members of the Soyuz crew for a visit when they will visit a game reserve.
The next few months will see him visiting schools and encouraging children in the fields of science and technology.
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