Sport and Recreation Minister Ngconde Balfour lamented Rian Oberholzer’s departure from South African rugby on Friday, but at the same time said it was ”understandable”. ”I understand the circumstances that resulted in Rian Oberholzer and Rudolf Straeuli vacating their positions,” the minister said.

As the rugby fraternity reacted to the double resignation of Rudolf Straeuli and Rian Oberholzer, South African Rugby Football Union (Sarfu) president Silas Nkanunu revealed at the union’s annual general meeting at Newlands on Friday that he would not stand for the post.

You’ve got to take your hat off to Milan; the only city to have produced two European Cup winners, both of whom are now in the semifinals of the champions’ league, who played each other in the mother of all derbies on Wednesday at the San Siro, the same stadium where they will play the return leg this week. Manchester and Liverpool might fancy themselves two great football cities but, in terms of raw credentials, they cannot compete with Milan.

Michael Schumacher may have had a gleaming new scarlet Ferrari to race for the first time in last weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix, but if the German driver is to blast a path to an unprecedented sixth world championship this season he will have to beat the new McLaren-Mercedes and, in particular, one of its pilots, Kimi Raikkonen.

Cote D’ Ivoire new communications minister said on Sunday he planned to open up the country’s airwaves to private television and radio networks in 2004.

The West Indies have to defy Test cricket history to prevent Australia from capturing an unprecedented Caribbean series clean sweep in the fourth Test here at the Recreation Ground.

Vincent Mogotsi and Thomas Mashaba have promised to use their fights against Nelson Sebobiso and Joseph Majapelo respectively. They are also aiming to convince the national sanctioning committee that they are ready for national honours.