More than 5 000 supporters of ousted president Jean-Bertrand Aristide marched in Haiti’s capital on Wednesday to demand his return from exile, less than two weeks before a UN mandate upholding security in the strife-torn nation is set to expire. Aristide is currently based here in South Africa as a guest of the government.

President George Bush is expected to give the United States Air Force a green light for the development of space weapons, potentially triggering a new global arms race. The new weapons being studied range from hunter-killer satellites to orbiting weapons using lasers, radio waves or even dense metal tubes dropped from space.

Those opposing Pretoria’s name change are forgetting the name changes imposed by colonialists centuries ago, says Arts and Culture Minister Pallo Jordan. Jordan says that people caught up in the ”hysteria about the name for Pretoria” must remember that many of the places involved had indigenous African names before the 19th century.

Makhaya Ntini was named South Africa’s Cricketer of the Year at the Annual Mutual and Federal Awards dinner on Wednesday. The Protea paceman’s persistence, stamina and success made him a strong candidate. Ntini took 58 wickets in 14 Tests, in the process becoming the third South African to reach 200 Test wickets.

The Democratic Alliance has called for an inquiry into how an official working in the Office of the Presidency was suspended, dismissed, re-appointed, and once again suspended. DA MP and social development spokesperson Mike Waters said on Wednesday this was revealed in a written reply to a parliamentary question.

The tarring of Soweto’s 300km of road should be completed by the end of the month, Minister of Provincial and Local Government Sydney Mufamadi said in Parliament on Wednesday. The City of Johannesburg has allocated R400-million since 2002 for the task of tarring Soweto’s roads.

An 89th-minute goal by Scara Ngobese earned the Premier Soccer League defending champions, Kaizer Chiefs, a hard-fought 1-0 win over 10-man Supersport United at Loftus Stadium on Wednesday night. AmaKhosi must beat Bloemfontein Celtic in their final league match on Sunday to pip Orlando Pirates for the title.

Wallaby hooker Brendan Cannon returned to the Waratahs lineup for Saturday’s Super 12 semifinal in an indication the Waratahs’ pack aims to muscle up against the Bulls. Springbok locks Bakkies Botha and Victor Matfield lead a large pack looking to bounce back from their last match against the Waratahs — a 42-12 loss in Sydney in round five.