Johannesburg  - South Africa's amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius underwent emergency surgery in a Johannesburg hospital Sunday following a boating accident, the Sapa news agency reported.

"We are not sure what happened at this stage, we are still trying to establish it," Pistorius's manager Peet van Zyl said.

Meanwhile local radio reported that Pistorius, who is nicknamed "Blade Runner" because of the prosthetic legs that enable him to sprint, was in a serious but stable condition and had been placed on a ventilator in an intensive care unit in Milpark Hospital.

Johannesburg/Harare - Africa's oldest leader, Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe turned 85 on Saturday, with a lavish party to follow on February 28.

At a fund-raising event organized by his Zanu-PF party earlier this month, pledges of 110,000 US dollars and several head of cattle, goats and pigs were secured towards the party, despite around half the population not being able to adequately feed itself.

Speaking on national radio earlier this week, Absolom Sikhosana, Zanu PF's youth leader, admitted raising funds for this year celebrations have been more difficult.

Johannesburg - In a few hours time, a man will be lowered from the side of an office building in Cape Town, where he will have spent six days and five nights high above ground, ib a makeshift ledge.

Trevor Johnston will clamber out, stretch his sore limbs and take a running dive into the Atlantic Ocean, the sight of whose sparkling waters have been torturing him since he began his gruelling stay in the sky on Monday morning.

Sydney, Feb 21 : South African broadcaster and sports writer Neil Manthorp has said that Australian players should behave more gracefully after end of their 15 years at the top.

Manthorp, who covered the Proteas' tour in Australia this summer, is clearly not impressed by the arrogant attitude of Australian players.

His basic complaint is that Australian cricketers remain as arrogant as ever, even though they have little now to be arrogant about, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

Injured Australian fast bowler Shaun Tait's international career hangs in the balance with doctors refusing to state a specific date for his comeback. Tait is thus in doubt for playing the ODI series against South Africa.

Tait, Australia's fastest bowler is down with chronic hamstring tendonitis. He sustained a left-hamstring tear during a domestic ODI match against Queensland in Brisbane on December 3.

Johannesburg - South Africa's Congress of the People (COPE) has picked a Methodist bishop to lead the party in upcoming elections against the scandal-plagued ruling African National Congress (ANC), the party said Friday.

COPE's choice of Bishop Mvume Dandala to be the face of the party in the April 22 polls is seen as an attempt by the party to position itself as a more moral party than the ANC.

ANC leader Jacob Zuma stands accused of corruption and fraud in relation to a 1990s arms deal. He is due to go on trial after the election, in August.