Two mass shootings in South Africa leave 28 dead

By Thuthuka Zondi, JOHANNESBURG South Africa 

Twenty-eight people have been killed in two mass shootings hours apart in South Africa, the latest gun violence to hit the country.

Eighteen people were killed when eight gunmen stormed a bar close to Johannesburg on Saturday evening, with 14 more injured.

In a separate shooting in the early hours of Sunday morning, 10 people were killed outside an entertainment venue in a township near Cape Town and a further 11 were injured.

South Africa has one of the highest murder rates in the world and has struggled to contain gang-related gun violence in recent years. Police have not given a definitive motive for either of the latest attacks.

In Johannesburg, gunmen opened fire on customers outside the bar before continuing the attack inside and torching two vehicles before fleeing.

Police said only four of those killed have been identified so far.

Gauteng Police Commissioner Lt Gen Tommy Mthombeni said people from Ethiopia and Lesotho were among those caught up in the shooting, but that the vast majority were South African.

He also said police believed the motive behind the shooting was robbery, as personal belongings had been taken, but that they could not rule out turf wars between illegal mining groups.

Mining without permission in abandoned shafts or dump sites is a persistent problem in South Africa, causing numerous deaths from unsafe conditions. 

Authorities say the miners are typically undocumented migrants recruited by organised crime gangs.

Earlier, deputy provincial police commissioner Maj Gen Fred Kekana said the attack may have been a retaliation for an incident last month, in which one person was killed and another wounded.

He said at the scene that police had clear pictures and in some cases names for the suspects.

In Cape Town, five victims died at the scene and a further five people died in hospital.

No arrests had been made in either case on Sunday morning.

The two mass shootings came days after 11 people were killed in the city of Durban when gunmen stormed a house in the KwaMakhutha township.

Illegal weapons are prevalent in South Africa and gun violence has been a persistent problem for decades, with about 60 murders recorded every day in the country of 62 million.

EAST AFRICA NEWSPAPERS 28/9/2026

 

Trump rejects Iran deal to reopen Strait of Hormuz in seven days

WASHINGTON, United States 

United States President,  Donald Trump has rejected an Iranian proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping within a week.

He told reporters at the White House that Tehran "want to make a deal where they open the Strait immediately because they're losing so badly".

On Friday, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told reporters at the UN in New York that agreement could be reached "if the necessary conditions are met" and that these were contained in a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by the two countries in June.

The vital waterway through which around a fifth of the world's gas and oil supply usually flows has been effectively closed since the outbreak of war in February.

"I'm rejecting their deal," Trump said on Saturday, adding that the US already had "total control" of the strait, with "massive amounts of oil" passing through it.

"They want to make a deal, and I think that's fine. I like making a deal, too. But that deal would not be acceptable," he added.

On Friday the Wall Street Journal cited officials as saying Trump was sceptical that Iran would meet his demands and had told his staff that he saw a renewed bombing campaign as probable.

Iran responded to US and Israeli air strikes, beginning in late February, by attacking Israel and US bases in the Gulf and Arab Gulf allies of the US - as well as blocking the Strait of Hormuz. Its closure has caused wild fluctuations of energy prices.

The economic effects have also increased pressure on Trump to find a way of ending the conflict - particularly as the US heads towards Congressional elections in November.

Iran offers US deal to reopen Strait of Hormuz in seven days

NEW YORK, United States 

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says his country has proposed a deal to the US that would see the Strait of Hormuz reopened within a week.

Araghchi told reporters at the UN in New York that this could be done "if the necessary conditions are met" and said these were contained within the memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed in June.

"The choice now rests with the United States," he said, adding the plan was delivered to the US via Qatar.

Asked about the Iranian offer, a US official said positive discussions were taking place through mediators, including about nuclear issues.

While the US has yet to deliver its official response to the proposal, the Wall Street Journal, citing US officials, reported that US President Donald Trump had rejected the deal.Trump was privately sceptical that Iran would meet his demands, it reported, and had told his staff that he saw a renewed bombing campaign as likely.

The US and Israel launched air strikes on Iran on 28 February. Iran responded by attacking Israel and US bases in the Gulf and Arab Gulf allies of the US - as well as blocking the Strait of Hormuz.

Some 20% of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas used to pass through the strait before the war and its closure has caused wild fluctuations of energy prices.

It has also increased pressure on Trump to find a way of ending the conflict - particularly as the US heads to Congressional elections in November.

"If the necessary conditions are met, the strait can be reopened, a normal maritime passage restored within seven days," Araghchi told reporters.

He did not specify what steps Iran wanted the US to take but added that "the actions that the United States should take are not new. They are all already in the MOU".

"I can tell you if there is seriousness in the US side to come to a deal and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, everything is now prepared," he added.

A US official said that the US was "in a very strong position with control of the Strait of Hormuz, so we are not in a rush".

In an interview with CBS News, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said that the ceasefire process "will begin from the very day they accept it".

"We had previously reached an agreement based on the MOU that was signed in Pakistan... if the United States agrees to proceed in that way, everything will return to the way it was before," he added.

Pezeshkian also said Iran would now allow UN nuclear inspectors into the country.

Rejecting claims that Iran is trying to develop a nuclear weapon, the Iranian president said: "If they wish to come in and have inspections, we can reach accords and agreements vis-à-vis that specific topic within the negotiations."

The MOU between the US and Iran, signed on 18 June, was designed to bring about a ceasefire and at least partly reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

The 14-point agreement said Iran would never have a nuclear weapon. It noted that the US, Iran and their allies would end military operations on "all fronts" and contained provisions including the end of a US naval blockade and sanctions relief.

EAST AFRICA NEWSPAPERS 26/9/2026

 

Pope warns against 'losing humanity' to AI machines

By Hugh Schofield, PARIS France 

Pope Leo XIV has issued a warning about the dangers of artificial intelligence (AI) at the start of his four-day visit to France.

The pontiff cautioned against "losing our humanity amid a paradise of machines" in wide-ranging remarks to Church and state officials at the Élysée Palace, following an hour of talks with President Emmanuel Macron.

Leo made a similar warning earlier this year when he spoke of the need for AI to be "disarmed" in the first major teaching document of his papacy.

In his May appeal, he mentioned the slave trade in relation to AI, suggesting that the world was in danger of normalising the exploitation of people once again.

The highpoint of Leo's visit to France is set to be a giant Mass attended by more than half a million people in Paris on Saturday, for which an altar has been built on the Place de la Concorde and a large area around the Champs-Élysées sealed off by police.

Large crowds are expected throughout the trip, reflecting an enthusiasm that the Church attributes to growing spirituality among the French and other Europeans.

He was greeted at Orly airport early on Friday by Macron, with the pair expected to deliver a speech later in the day in Metz.

Crowds were meanwhile gathering along a route to the Notre Dame, where the pontiff will later be driven in his popemobile.

The president will not be at any of the Pope's Masses, largely to avoid breaching France's strict separation of state and religion.

On Friday, Macron hailed Pope Leo's visit to France as a "great honour", stressing that French secularism "in no way negates religion".

Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Dangote to build $660m petroleum pipeline

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia 

Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote said he is helping to fund a new $660 million refined petroleum product pipeline between Ethiopia and Djibouti.

Under the deal announced by Ethiopian Investment Holdings on Thursday, the project will see a 120km link built to connect Damerjog port to a distribution facility in Dewele.

Landlocked Ethiopia relies heavily on Djibouti's port for imports, including petroleum products.

The pipeline is expected to begin operations within 18 months with the project including storage facilities on both ends of the connection.

Ethiopia’s Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed, said it "will reduce logistics costs and delays” and strengthen energy security along the corridor.

The project comes as Dangote Group expands its infrastructure and manufacturing businesses across Africa.

It is building a $4 billion fertiliser pipeline and power plant, plus a polypropylene packaging facility in Ethiopia.

Dangote is also due to break ground next week on a new 700,000-barrel-per-day oil refinery in Lamu, Kenya.

South Sudan President opens political dialogue ahead of December elections

JUBA, South Sudan 

South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir has opened an inter-party dialogue in the capital, Juba, just days after dissolving the country’s transitional unity government.

The talks come as the government prepares for general elections scheduled for December 22, which would be the country’s first national vote since independence in 2011.

Kiir says the dialogue should help political parties agree on a path towards peaceful and credible elections, and has warned against using the process to delay or alter the electoral roadmap.

But the process is facing opposition.

Major opposition groups, including those linked to former First Vice President Riek Machar, have rejected the government’s approach. 

Machar was removed from the government when Kiir dissolved the transitional administration on September 22.

Critics have questioned whether credible elections can be held in just three months, amid concerns over security, political space and the absence of a permanent constitution.

For Kiir, however, the message is clear: the transition is ending, and the country is moving towards the December vote.

Netanyahu defends Israeli military action as delegates walk out before UN speech

NEW YORK, United States 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has fiercely defended his country's military campaigns in Iran, Gaza and elsewhere in the Middle East in a speech to the UN General Assembly.

After dozens of delegates walked out in protest as he took to the stage, Netanyahu vowed to continue fighting: "We're going to win. We have no other choice."

In response to the walkout, he said: "If there are any other moral cowards who haven't left the hall, please do so now."

The Israeli leader also rejected accusations that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.

Hours earlier, in a recorded message Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told the UN that Israeli policies - in particular the illegal expansion of Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank - threatened "the very life and existence of the Palestinian people on their homeland".

He also said it jeopardised the two-state solution, which is an internationally backed formula for peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

Abbas said that Palestinians were being subjected to "killing, destruction, starvation and attempts at displacement, as well as a genocidal war" in Gaza by the Israeli military.

The Palestinian leader was addressing the annual gathering via a video link because he had been denied a US visa.

Netanyahu, who is subject to an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for alleged war crimes, launched scathing attacks on nations and leaders who have criticised him.

"They accuse Israel, tiny Israel, of colonialism - some colonialism. And who's accusing us? Among them are people in Britain and in France. For God's sake, they invented the term," he said.

He went on to label Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan a "tyrant", accusing him of supporting the Palestinian armed group Hamas.

Erdogan told the UN on Tuesday that the injustices faced by those in Gaza and the West Bank "deeply offends the conscience of humanity".

Tanzania paid 32 million dollars to host AFCON 2027

By Our Correspondent DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania 

Tanzanian government has paid US$32 million (equivalent to approximately 74 billion Tanzanian Shillings)  for the right to host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), the government said.

The information was revealed to the press on Thursday September 24, 2026, by the Minister of Information, Culture, Arts and Sports, Paul Makonda, in Dar es Salaam as part of government’s major investment in the sports sector.

He explained that apart from the US$32 million hosting fee, the government is currently talking to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to pay US$12 million (approximately 30 billion Tanzanian Shillings) to aquire broadcasting rights of the tournament.

He explained that apart from the funds the government has invested  heavily in construction of stadiums and road infrastructures, as strategic investments to promote Tanzania to the world, promote tourism, and create employment opportunities for the youths. 

"We have paid 32 million dollars equivalent to approximately 74 billion Tanzanian Shillings. This is just hosting fee. But we are also talking to CAF, we are required to pay 12 million dollars for advertising rights." He revealed. 

The 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, also referred to as AFCON 2027 will be the 36th edition of the African football tournament organised by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a biennial tournament. 

It will be hosted by Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania from 19 June to 17 July 2027.

This edition of the tournament will be the first to be hosted by three countries, and the first in five decades to be organised in the CECAFA region, since it was hosted by Ethiopia in 1976.

The event is part of the Africa Cup of Nations' 70th anniversary. It will also be the last one to be held in odd-numbered years, as CAF announced in December 2025 that AFCON would become a Quadrennial tournament from 2028 onwards.

EAST AFRICA NEWSPAPERS 25/9/2026