A bad week for Lawrence Mbatha
Army chief’s Russia trip leaves him under fire, but it’s even worse for his superiors
A good week for Rob Still
Rob Still, a miner who turned to farming, struck gold in the Klein Karoo with oil. Still’s De Rustica estate near De Rust has won an award for the best olive oil in the world. The Evooleum prize is awarded by the Spanish Association of Olive Tree Municipalities, which assesses the quality of extra virgin olive oils from across the world. De Rustica’s Coratina oil was judged best in its class and “absolute best olive oil” over all categories, beating 999 other entrants.
A bad week for Lawrence Mbatha
Lawrence Mbatha was caught in the crossfire on Monday. Just as his commander-in-chief was ducking for cover over alleged military co-operation with Russia, the chief of the South African army pitched up in the aggressor nation’s military headquarters. Mbatha’s spin-corporals said it was a “goodwill visit”; his Russian hosts said it was “to boost co-operation and increase the combat readiness of the two countries’ armies”. Mbatha can always fall back on that old military chestnut of “just obeying orders”, but his superiors’ “nonaligned” defence shows further signs of collapse.