June 30, 2026.

For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Haydon Whitley.

Making headlines:

South African cities shuttered as anti-migrant protests gather pace

Tony Leon defends communications firm

And, Ebola outbreak could cost Africa up to $3.6-billion

Demonstrators wrapped in flags and wielding wooden sticks gathered across South Africa today for anti-immigrant marches, some of which saw brief outbreaks of violence amid heavy police guard, as shops remained shut and foreign workers stayed at home.

Thousands of foreign nationals from elsewhere in Africa had already fled the country ahead of today’s unofficial "deadline" set by the demonstrators for all undocumented migrants to leave.

In parts of the main commercial city Johannesburg and the port city of Durban, hundreds of protesters marched swathed in South African flags and carrying wooden batons, watched by police with armoured vehicles and support helicopters.

Migrants have interpreted the deadline as a physical threat, and there were scattered signs of violence by midday, although marches were mostly peaceful. Police said they had arrested some looters, giving no further details.

Tony Leon has denied allegations by fellow former DA leader John Steenhuisen that his communications firm, Resolve Communications, sought to influence DA ministers, saying the claims are false and that legal action is being considered.

Over the weekend, Steenhuisen alleged that Leon's firm had used its proximity to the party to get DA ministers to meet with its clients, an issue which Steenhuisen said he had raised internally in the DA.

Since then, political parties have called for an investigation into the allegations, with some likening them to 'State capture' corruption.

Leon, as chairperson of Resolve Communications, refuted any claims of State capture, arguing that his firm was being used in internal party factionalism.

Leon believes that the claims stem from political contests in party politics, which he strongly assured his company was not involved with.

The United Nations said today that an Ebola outbreak could cost Africa up to $3.6-billion and hundreds of thousands of jobs, potentially causing a development crisis.

The outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there is no tested vaccine or treatment, has infected 1 307 people and killed 377 in the Democratic Republic of Congo since being declared on May 15, the government says.

A much smaller number of cases have been reported in Uganda and experts warn of the possibility of it spreading to other neighbours, such as South Sudan.

The United Nations Development Programme outlined three scenarios for the outbreak. In the best scenario, where the epidemic remains contained in the two countries, the cost is $1-billion for Congo's GDP.

In the worst-case scenario, the disease spreads to countries including Rwanda and Angola and coincides with higher fuel costs linked to the Iran crisis, cutting continental GDP by $3.6-billion and resulting in 328 000 job losses, the United Nations Development Programme said.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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