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 the Denel Rooivalk attack helicopter at the Africa Aerospace and Defence 2026 expo in Centurion, actress Charlize Theron at her Africa Outreach Project block party in California, supporters attending the Inkatha Freedom Party’s local government election manifesto launch in KwaMashu, and volunteers taking part in an International Coastal Cleanup Day event on Robben Island. These are some of the compelling images from South Africa and around the world.
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A Denel Rooivalk attack helicopter is seen at the Africa Aerospace and Defence (AAD) 2026 expo, 19 September 2026, at Air Force Base Waterkloof in Centurion. The expo serves as Africa’s premier aerospace and defense exhibition, showcasing air, land, and sea technologies. Saturday and Sunday featured a public airshow including gripen and hawk jets and the Roovalk helicopter, among others. Picture: Michel Bega/The Citizen
A Lockheed C-130 Hercules fires off flares at the Africa Aerospace and Defence (AAD) 2026 expo, 19 September 2026, at Air Force Base Waterkloof in Centurion. The expo serves as Africa’s premier aerospace and defense exhibition, showcasing air, land, and sea technologies. Saturday and Sunday featured a public airshow including gripen and hawk jets, as well as the Roovalk helicopter, among others. Picture: Michel Bega/The Citizen
Participants during a memorial walk in honour of Tsontso Elizabeth Moselakgomo on September 18, 2026 in Soweto, South Africa. This follows the high-profile police investigation into the discovery of nine bodies of women found dead in the Ekurhuleni region (including Kempton Park, Olifantsfontein, and Springs) between July and September. (Photo by Gallo Images/Fani Mahuntsi)
Firefighters put out a fire at a school destroyed by a Russian air strike at what had been an evacuation point for civilians in Kramatorsk, Ukraine, 20 September 2026 (Photo by Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Harry Kane of FC Bayern München attends the FC Bayern Wiesn at Käfer Wiesn-Schänke on September 20, 2026 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images for Paulaner)
The tram of the Turkey team from Istanbul competes during the 12th European Tram Driver Championship in front of Palace of Culture and Science on Marszalkowska street in Warsaw’s downtown, on September 19, 2026. 26 teams – each consisting of a female and a male tram driver, from 25 cities and 24 European countries, plus one guest team from Melbourne, Australia – show off their driving skills in a series of challenging competitions that test their precision, concentration, feel for the vehicle, and control of the tram. (Photo by Wojtek RADWANSKI / AFP)
Traditionally clad supporters of the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) attend the 2026 local government election manifesto launch at the Princess Magogo Stadium in Kwamashu township outside Durban on September 20, 2026. South Africans will go to the polls on November 4, 2026 to elect local government representatives. (Photo by RAJESH JANTILAL / AFP)
Charlize Theron attends the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project 2026 Block Party at Universal Studios Backlot on September 19, 2026 in Universal City, California. (Photo by JC Olivera/Getty Images)
Kendo practitioners wait backstage ahead of a demonstration during Planet A Matsuri 2026 in Dakar, on September 19, 2026, a two-day festival celebrating anime, gaming, K-pop and Japanese culture. (Photo by PATRICK MEINHARDT / AFP)
Volunteers from various organisations at the International Coastal Cleanup Day commemoration at Robben Island on September 19, 2026 in Cape Town, South Africa. The campaign aims to remove accumulated marine debris and plastic waste while raising public awareness about ocean pollution and protecting World Heritage sites. (Photo by Gallo Images/Brenton Geach)
A participant in the pumpkin regatta begins to paddle in the competition on September 19, 2026 in Ludwigsburg, Germany. The Pumpkin Regatta, organized as part of the annual pumpkin exhibition at Bluehendes Barock Ludwigsburg, is a race in which participants paddle hollowed-out giant pumpkins along a marked course. Giant pumpkins grown in the Stuttgart region are hollowed out and turned into one-person boats. (Photo by Elena Romanova/Getty Images)
Members of the “Jet Ski Turkiye” community ride jet skis through the Bosphorus during a summer farewell event, with the Maiden’s Tower in the background, in Istanbul, Turkiye, on September 20, 2026. (Photo by Muhammed Ali YiÄit/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Models present creations by South African designer Sibu Msimang during the closing night of the 15th Durban Fashion Fair at the Durban Exhibition Centre in Durban over the weekend. Organised by the eThekwini Municipality under the theme “Where Legacy Lives”, the three-day showcase featured 84 designers, including 20 emerging designers from the DFF Class of 2026 mentorship programme. Picture: Rajesh Jantilal
A model walks the runway at the Edeline Lee show during London Fashion Week September 2026 at on September 20, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Shane Anthony Sinclair/Getty Images)
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