Ernie Els, one of the world’s great golfers and a sportsman supposedly as relaxed as he is gifted, looks suitably devoid of stress in his baggy shorts and cool sandals. He cracks the odd joke, says ”mate” a lot and even laughs on cue. But it does not take long to detect something less settled lurking beneath the familiar Els facade of an amiable swinger with the sweetest of games and most laconic of lifestyles.
A United States federal judge temporarily stopped construction on a -million irrigation project on Thursday, saying the work could disturb the habitat of a woodpecker that might or might not be extinct. Scientists had thought the woodpecker was extinct until a kayaker said he had seen one in early 2004 in the woods of eastern Arkansas.
A Hartbeespoort woman has been warned her home would be auctioned of she failed to pay a debt of R3, media reports said on Friday. ”I think it’s ridiculous — the envelope alone cost them R1,89,” Bettie Hartzenberg said. Hartzenberg’s debt was in connection with arrears licence fees on an ancient Ford tractor.
Former Khmer Rouge military chief Ta Mok, one of Pol Pot’s most ruthless henchmen and a key defendant in upcoming ”Killing Fields” trials, died on Friday in an army hospital in the Cambodian capital. The one-legged 82-year-old, dubbed ”The Butcher” for overseeing mass purges during the ultra-Maoist regime’s four years in power, had been in hospital with breathing problems since last month.
Israel pounded Lebanon from the air on Friday in its bloody 10-day-old assault against Hezbollah, but the guerrilla group insisted it would only free two Israeli soldiers it is holding as part of a prisoner swap. Israel said two of its helicopters collided near the Lebanese border, killing a pilot and injuring three crewmen.
The Department of Foreign Affairs said on Friday that it had been advised by its embassy in Athens of the safe arrival of South Africans in Cyprus on board a British ship. The 11 South Africans were evacuated from Lebanon as Israel continued to pound the country in a bloody assault against Hezbollah.
A South African container ship, the <i>MV Umfolozi</i>, has been stolen from Walvis Bay, media reports said on Friday. The ship had been docked in Walvis Bay since colliding with a South African-registered dredger, the <i>MV Ingwenya</i>, in September. The stolen vessel was believed to have sailed north into Angolan waters.
Girish Kotwal, the University of Cape Town professor who allegedly tested an Aids potion on highly infectious viruses without following required procedures, is to face a university disciplinary hearing. The Mail & Guardian has learnt that Kotwal is to be charged with failing to follow procedures in researching human subjects.
Insurance and investment giant Old Mutual has raised a ”Chinese wall” over the bidding process associated with what could be Africa’s largest property sale — the V&A Waterfront — for which multibillion-rand bids close on Monday. This is because of possible accusations of a conflict of interests.
In a move worthy of a contortionist African National Congress KwaZulu-Natal chairperson and Thabo Mbeki loyalist, S’bu Ndebele, has explained his unexpected weekend announcement that he is backing ANC deputy president Jacob Zuma as the next party leader.