LOOKING BACK

FROM THE SUNDAY TIMES 50 YEARS AGO

Professor Chris Barnard, the heart surgeon, has sharply criticised the death penalty in South Africa and condemned the hanging of Frans Vontsteen in Pretoria this week. He said he was opposed to “the human slaughterhouse we run in Pretoria”. “They hang almost as many people in a year in Pretoria as I save with heart operations. I save about 150 people a year, and they hang almost that number. It is very disheartening for a doctor. I sometimes think: Is it all worth it?” Barnard said it was ironical that the people who asked the Government to show mercy on Vontsteen should expect the Government to show any mercy. “The Government are so used to dealing out suffering to others … that one may be a bit optimistic in expecting the Government to be merciful.” — October 8 1972

FROM THE SUNDAY TIMES 25 YEARS AGO

The government is planning to give away large tracts of indigenous forest, tribal land and prime beach sites on the Wild Coast to attract developers for a R1.5bn toll road. The land is being offered as “concessions” to developers because low traffic volumes mean the road will not be economically viable. Successful tenderers will be offered prime sites to develop resorts and hotels along beaches and nature reserves from which they will be able to generate income and repay their loans. The Department of Transport has also confirmed that truck stops, motels and large timber, tea and sugar plantations are likely to be established on communal land and along the coast. The plans have sparked an outcry from environmentalists, politicians and locals. — October 5 1997