Namibia’s once charismatic President Sam Nujoma is showing increasingly cranky and irrational behaviour, in keeping with his regional nickname, "Mugabe lite". In recent weeks he has rounded on the media, homosexuals, whites, and the United States for alleged mistreatment of African-Americans.

Newly promoted Zulu Royals earned their first point of the season when they played to a 1-1 draw with Moroka Swallows in a Castle Premiership match at Kings Park soccer stadium on Sunday.

Hezekiel Sepeng, South African record holder in the 800m and multiple finalist at numerous global meetings over a long period, won his event at the final IAAF Grand Prix Athletics meeting in Rieti with an impressive performance and victory over local favourite, Andrea Longo, of Italy, in a fast 1 min 44,86 seconds on Sunday.

For Juan Carlos Ferrero, the consolation prize after losing the US Open championship wasn’t all that bad. Ferrero will take over the number one ranking in the world on Monday, his reward for the best record on tour over the past 52 weeks.

The lavish, sprawling residences of kings and queens became difficult to maintain after India became independent from British rule on August 15, 1947. But enterprising individuals are turning their manors into luxurious hotels and, for a hefty fee, will treat guests like royalty.

Subsistence poaching and illegal hunting in and around the Eastern Cape’s Addo Elephant National Park has reached a crisis point, says the Democratic Alliance who called on Environment Minister Valli Moosa to intervene urgently ”to prevent this situation from deteriorating any further”.

Research presented at a workshop on seabirds in Cape Town last Friday, indicated that the populations of six of the 21 albatross species have declined dramatically, BirdLife International said.

Macedonia’s Artim Sakiri claims the death threats David Beckham complained about after England scraped a 2-1 Euro 2004 win in Skopje on Saturday were part and parcel of the game.

Star centre Thomas Castaignede, overlooked by France, and former coach Pierre Berbizier fear the French have lost the plot.