Through the lens: The Citizen's Picture Editors select the best news photographs from South Africa and around the world.
We bring you a visual snapshot of the day’s news events, featuring Indonesia’s Mount Sinabung continuing to erupt and disrupting air travel, colourful pro-Palestinian graffiti adding a contemporary political message to Cape Town’s iconic Bo-Kaap neighbourhood, and a Johannesburg community left waiting as the reopening of the newly refurbished Blairgowrie Public Swimming Pool is delayed despite being ready for use. These are some of the compelling images from around South Africa and the world.
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Volcanic activity continues at Mount Sinabung as it spews volcanic material in Karo Regency, North Sumatra, Indonesia, on September 1, 2026. Following a massive eruption on August 31 that sent a thick column of volcanic ash approximately 3,500 meters (3.5 kilometers) above its summit, the ongoing ashfall and atmospheric disruptions led to the cancellation of 21 flights to and from Kualanamu International Airport. (Photo by Risky Cahyadi/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Pool cleaner and gardener Jeffrey Mathebula, from the Blairgowrie Community Association (BCA), sweeps the Bairgowrie Public Swimming Pool, 1 September 2026, which is ready to open its doors on the first day of Spring, however the municipality has prevented the re-opening. The pool recently went through a revamp, funded by the BCA, but despite being ready, according to the municipality cannot open to the public, with the reopening date being pushed back to 1 October for all pools, with a staggered reopening to come. Community development MMC Thapelo Amad apologised for the delay, explaining the swimming pools still needed to meet “health, safety, and operational standards” required for public amenities. Picture: Michel Bega/The Citizen
One World Trade Center and Oculus are seen in New York on August 31, 2026. September 11, 2026 will mark the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP)
A pedestrian walks past brightly painted buildings featuring pro-Palestinian graffiti in the historic Bo-Kaap neighbourhood in Cape Town, 31 August 2026. The area, known for its colourful houses and deep-rooted Muslim heritage, has become a visible space for expressions of solidarity with Palestinians alongside its status as one of Cape Town’s most recognisable tourist attractions. Picture: Michel Bega/The Citizen
This handout photo taken and received on September 1, 2026 from Ang Tinig – St. John the Baptist Parish Hagonoy, Bulacan shows bride Leian Lieza Galang walking down the aisle during her wedding ceremony in a flooded church in Hagonoy town. A Philippine couple tied the knot on September 1 at a Catholic church swamped in hip-deep waters, as heavy rains have pummelled large parts of the country for a month. (Photo by Handout / Ang Tinig – St. John the Baptist Parish Hagonoy, Bulacan / AFP)
Ochse Square swimming pool in Albertsville, Johannesburg, remains closed, 1 September 2026 after shutting its gates in December 2025. While the reason for the closure has not been officially confirmed, some community members allege that a faulty water pump is preventing the facility from reopening. Public swimming pools in Johannesburg typically operate on a seasonal basis, opening from 1 September to 31 March. Picture: Nigel Sibanda/The Citizen
A woman stands amid a makeshift memorial for King Harald V of Norway who passed away, at the Royal Palace square in Oslo on August 31, 2026. King Harald V of Norway, who died on August 28, 2026 aged 89, remained a unifying figure in his country until the very end, a pillar of stability amid a string of family scandals that tarnished the final years of his reign. (Photo by Odd ANDERSEN / AFP)
A dog stands on a motorcycle on a flooded street after heavy rains brought by the southwest monsoon in Pampanga on August 31, 2026. (Photo by Jam STA ROSA / AFP)
This photograph shows a storage board holding students’ mobile phones inside a classroom following a new legislation introducing a nationwide ban on mobile phones in primary and secondary schools across France as France’s President visits the Chaptal High School on the first day of the new academic year in Mende, southern France on September 1, 2026. Some 11.6 million primary, middle and secondary school pupils are returning to school on September 1, 2026, with headteachers’ preparations having been disrupted by the fallout from a cyberattack targeting the French Ministry of Education this summer. Among the main changes this year are a ban on mobile phones in sixth-form colleges and the distribution to all pupils, from the final year of nursery school to the final year of sixth form, of a questionnaire on gender-based and sexual violence. (Photo by Guillaume HORCAJUELO / POOL / AFP)
A F/A-18D Hornet performs during the 69th National Day celebrations in Malaysia’s administrative capital Putrajaya on August 31, 2026. The country is commemorating the anniversary of the independence of the Federation of Malaya from British rule in 1957. (Photo by Mohd Rasfan / AFP)
Aegean fishermen return to shore with a bountiful catch of anchovies on the first day of the new fishing season after the fishing ban, which began on April 15 and lasted for approximately five months, ended in Izmir, Turkiye, on September 1, 2026. (Photo by Mahmut Serdar Alakus/Anadolu via Getty Images)
A young Iraqi dives into the Shatt al-Arab River in Basra amid soaring temperatures on August 31, 2026. (Photo by Hussein FALEH / AFP)
A vendor is seen at the Hong Kong Watch and Clock Fair on September 1, 2026. (Photo by Peter PARKS / AFP)
Uzbekistan, one of the prominent countries of Central Asia, marks the 35th anniversary of its independence with an economy built on a centuries-old state tradition and a rich civilizational heritage, while pursuing political, economic and social transformations in recent years, in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on September 1, 2026. (Photo by Bahtiyar Abdulkerimov/Anadolu via Getty Images)
This photograph shows the “Moulin de Valmy” (Valmy windmill) at sunset in Valmy, northeastern France, on August 31, 2026. The windmill was restored after being damaged by a storm in 2022. The “Moulin de Valmy” is a symbol of the French Republic following the Battle of Valmy on September 20, 1792, which was the first victory of the French army against the Prussian army and led to the creation of the French Republic. (Photo by Sameer Al-DOUMY / AFP)
Rosa Majano poses for a portrait before taking part in the traditional “Fireball Festival” in Nejapa, El Salvador, on August 31, 2026. The annual festival, dating back to 1922, is held in honour of Saint Jerome and commemorates the 1658 eruption of the San Salvador volcano that destroyed the town of Nejapa. (Photo by Marvin RECINOS / AFP)
A Sharpa robot makes a Blizzard ice cream for a customer at a Dairy Queen store in Shanghai on September 1, 2026. (Photo by Jade GAO / AFP)
Parents and children part of UK climate group ‘Mothers Rise Up’ take part in a demonstration to highlight the the impact of record breaking heat on children due to climate change, near Downing Street in central London on September 1, 2026. (Photo by Adrian DENNIS / AFP)
Driver Daniel Douglas prepares to take part in a Reliant Robins race during an afternoon of banger auto racing entitled ‘Vandemonium’, promoted by Trackstar Racing at the Adrian Flux Arena, in King’s Lynn, eastern England, on August 31, 2026. Short Oval Racing of Stock Cars and Bangers has been held at the circuit since 1955. Full contact racing is encouraged by the promoters, where spinning and hitting other cars is permitted. The ‘Vandemonium’ event presented three different race classes: TSR Bangers, which are limited to 1600cc; three-wheeled Reliant Robins; and Big Van Bangers – which included an eclectic mix of minibuses, horseboxes, camper vans, as well as more traditional panel vans. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP)
Democratic Alliance (DA) Johannesburg mayoral candidate Helen Zille (left) and DA ward councillor candidate Walter Mnisi hold glasses of purified water during the handover of a newly constructed borehole and water purification system to the Waterworks community near Protea Glen, Soweto, 1 September 2026. The project aims to improve access to clean drinking water for residents. Picture: Nigel Sibanda/The Citizen
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