It was the saddest goodbye to a man who brought happiness to thousands of Port Elizabeth residents for almost 25 years as Maoz the clown waved them farewell, heading for Israel.

A qualified medical clown who studied under Dr Patch Adams – yes, the real one – Maoz Meiri, 48, broke barriers to bring laughter to sick children in hospitals across the city or to ease their fears as they were about to undergo surgery...