For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Halima Frost.

Making headlines: Parties call for urgent action after weekend's mass shootings; Ramaphosa challenges South Africans to defend national identity amid violence, division; And, Zambia aims to lift economic growth to 7% over next three years

Parties call for urgent action after weekend's mass shootings

South Africa is reeling from an unprecedented weekend of trauma as horrific mass shootings across the country have left at least 27 people dead and dozens more injured in targeted tavern attacks.

The carnage has sparked fierce national social and political outrage, putting intense pressure on government and the South African Police Service to deploy maximum resources and halt the rising tide of township violence.

The deadliest assault occurred on Saturday night in Extension 3, in Wedela, near Carletonville on the West Rand when eight unidentified gunmen, reportedly armed with high-calibre AK-47 rifles and pistols, stormed a local tavern. The attackers opened fire on patrons inside and outside the establishment, set vehicles alight, and robbed survivors before fleeing.

The carnage resulted in the deaths of 17 people – 13 men and four women – while 15 others were left wounded. Police have since confirmed a manhunt is actively underway, though the motive remains entirely unknown and no arrests have been announced.

The ANC in Gauteng expressed “profound shock and sadness” over the massacre, labelling it a "heinous crime".

DA Merafong mayoral candidate Carlos Rebelo extended condolences to the affected families and questioned how such a heavily armed group could execute an attack of this magnitude without detection.

As the nation processed the shock of the Gauteng attack, a second attack unfolded in the early hours of Sunday morning in Lwandle, near Strand, in the Western Cape.

At about 01:46 AM, gunmen entered a local tavern and opened fire. Five victims died at the scene, and another five succumbed to their injuries at nearby medical facilities, bringing the death toll to 10, with 11 others wounded.

Ramaphosa challenges South Africans to defend national identity amid violence, division

President Cyril Ramaphosa issued a reminder to the nation today that heritage is not only a cause for celebration but a critical battleground that citizens must actively defend, as he stressed that South Africans cannot allow gender-based violence, xenophobia and racial division to define the country’s character.

Writing in his weekly newsletter, the President’s message comes at a time of heightened security concerns, particularly following a grim series of crimes in the Gauteng province.

Addressing the crisis of gender-based violence, Ramaphosa described the ongoing abuse, rape, and murder of women as a "stain on the national conscience".

Between July and September 2026, the bodies of 11 women were discovered dumped across the Ekurhuleni municipality, east of Johannesburg. Last week, the South African Police Service made a significant breakthrough when members of the Gauteng Murder and Robbery Unit arrested one man and two women in connection with the ninth victim's murder.

Ramaphosa warned that the public humiliation of women, often dismissed as harmless, directly reinforces the dangerous attitudes that sustain discrimination and violence.

Turning to regional relations and migration, the President recalled the support African nations provided during South Africa's liberation struggle.

And, Zambia aims to lift economic growth to 7% over next three years

Zambia aims to lift economic growth to an average of 7% over the next three years, building on progress in restructuring its external debt, its finance ministry said.

The government's medium-term macroeconomic framework projects growth of 6.0% in 2027, 7.5% in 2028 and 7.1% in 2029, the finance ministry said in a statement.

This year's budget, presented in September last year, projected growth of 6.4% for 2026.

The International Monetary Fund forecasts more modest growth of 4.3% this year.

Zambia’s Finance Minister said the government wanted to move beyond stabilising the economy to securing more investment, stronger exports and boosting job creation by harnessing sectors like mining, energy and agriculture.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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