/ 16 November 2001

RUGBY REF FOUND IN WATERY GRAVE

THE body of rugby referee Carl Spannenberg, who went missing and was presumed to have drowned at Cape Town’s Zeekoevlei dam, was recovered from the dam on Wednesday, police reported. Captain Andre Traut said Spannenberg’s (33) body had surfaced and was noticed by the divers as they resumed their search at 8am. Spannenberg went missing on Sunday after jumping into the water from a ski-boat. He was one of the first four professional referees appointed in South Africa, and oversaw test matches as well as Vodacom Super 12 and Bankfin Currie Cup games. He was also one of the first referees to work under SA Rugby Football Union when it was formed in 1992. – Sapa