June 29, 2026.

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

Making headlines:

Ramaphosa warns against vandalism, violence ahead of June 30 protests

ANC, ActionSA call for investigation into Steenhuisen’s allegations against Tony Leon

And, IMF says Malawi credit programme hinges on economic reforms

As South Africa gears up for national protests against illegal immigration, President Cyril Ramaphosa stressed that while the right to protest is enshrined in the country’s Constitution, intimidation, vandalism or violence will not be tolerated.

Thousands of African migrants began the process of leaving South Africa for their various home countries as protest group March and March proceeds with plans for nationwide protests tomorrow.

Fears of vandalism and violence, reminiscent of the 2008 xenophobic violence and 2021 unrest in KwaZulu-Natal, have put South Africans and migrants on tenterhooks.

Ramaphosa acknowledged the concerns from South Africans on illegal immigration and said the right to protest came with responsibility.

He added that there were many foreign nationals living in South Africa legally and who were also protected by the country’s Constitution.

Ramaphosa further cautioned the protest organisers that they would be held to their assurances that their protestors would not descend into violence.

The ANC and ActionSA issued separate statements calling for an investigation into the allegations made recently by former DA leader John Steenhuisen after he was removed as Minister of Agriculture.

The ANC stated that after years of the DA associating corruption with a black-led government, a former DA leader was making allegations against those in his own party, while ActionSA likened Steenhuisen’s allegations to State capture.

Over the weekend, Steenhuisen alleged that former DA leader Tony Leon and former DA CEO Paul Boughey’s communications firm Resolve Communications drove a negative narrative around the foot-and-mouth disease vaccination campaign against him.

Additionally, he claimed that the firm had used its proximity to the party to get DA Ministers to meet with its clients, which Steenhuisen said he had raised as an issue internally in the DA.

ActionSA urged President Cyril Ramaphosa to institute investigations into Steenhuisen’s allegations.

Meanwhile, the ANC also took aim at the DA for projecting administrations under its control as inherently more ethical and accountable, describing it as a “selective political narrative”.

The ANC also called for an independent investigation into Steenhuisen’s allegations, saying there cannot be separate standards for black-led organisations and another for the DA.

The International Monetary Fund is ready to move quickly on a credit programme for Malawi, the lender said today, but warned it will depend on the country's willingness to implement economic reforms.

An IMF Resident Representative said discussions were focused on policies outlined in Malawi's National Economic Recovery Plan and how the fund could support them with an extended credit facility arrangement.

The comments came after an IMF mission left Malawi on June 18 without a deal.

Williams Banda, a spokesperson for Malawi’s Finance Minister, confirmed the talks were ongoing, saying the government and IMF had "agreed on the pathway" but declined to give further details.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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