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One World with Zain Asher
UK Investigating Suspected Terror Plot at Base Used by U.S.; Trump Expects More Talks After Rejecting Iran's Latest Proposal; Pope Leo Leads Mass in Metz, France Before Returning to Rome; Two Giant Pandas Ping Ping, Fu Shuang Arrive at Atlanta's Zoo; Over 30 People Killed in Mass Shootings Across South Africa. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired September 28, 2026 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ZAIN ASHER, CNN HOST, ONE WORLD: Right, coming to you live from New York. I'm Zain Asher. Bianna is off today. You are watching "One World". Want to
begin with some breaking news out of the United Kingdom. Five men are being released on bail after being detained for possible involvement in plotting
an attack on an air base used by U.S. forces in Fairford.
In the western part of England, police descended near the air base after receiving reports of suspicious activity, the base has been used by the
U.S. to launch long-range bombers on targets in Iran. Iran's embassy in London strongly rejected what it called unfounded and malicious speculation
linking Iran to the arrests.
The Head of the British counter terrorism unit gave this update moments ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LAWRENCE TAYLOR, HEAD OF UK COUNTER TERRORISM POLICING: The five men who were arrested are being released on police bail this afternoon. To be very
clear, this does not mean that the investigation is over. They are subject to stringent conditions on their movement and contact with others.
They absolutely remain under investigation as we explore multiple lines of inquiry. I also know there is significant interest in whether the current
geopolitical context has a bearing on this incident.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: And we'll be live for you in Fairford, rather in just a moment. All right. Just one day after he rejected Iran's proposal to reopen the Strait
of Hormuz, Donald Trump says he expects negotiations to continue this week. Iran's Foreign Minister tells NBC his country is open to real diplomacy,
but warns it's also preparing for a doomsday scenario.
On Saturday, Trump turned down the Iranian proposal, calling it unacceptable, while insisting that Iran is, in his words, losing badly.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Their money shot, their economy shot, their military shot. They're in trouble.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah. Are strikes before midterms still on the table for you?
TRUMP: I don't want to say that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.
TRUMP: I don't want to say that. I mean, it's possible, but I just don't want to say that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: All right. Meantime, an Israeli source tells CNN that the Israeli Prime Minister secretly traveled to the UAE over the weekend and met with
its president, with the Iran war dominating the agenda. Benjamin Netanyahu's reported visit took place exactly one month before Israel's
election.
And amid the backdrop of heightened political controversy, according to several reports in the media, Netanyahu was warned by the UAE of a major
Hamas operation days before the October 7th attack back in 2023. Netanyahu's office has repeatedly denied receiving any warning.
CNN's Jeremy Diamond joins us live now from Jerusalem. So, what more do we know, Jeremy, about this secret visit to the UAE by Netanyahu? Obviously,
it comes right before the Israeli elections, and of course, Netanyahu is dealing with the political fallout of these reports about the fact that he
was warned, apparently, about those October 7th attacks.
Just walk us through what we know so far, Jeremy.
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, that's right, Zain. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secretly traveled to the United
Arab Emirates just yesterday, according to an Israeli source familiar with the meeting, who said that the meeting was between the Israeli Prime
Minister and the UAE's President Mohammed bin Zayed, focused, according to this source, on Iran amid the ongoing negotiations that we've seen between
the U.S. and Iran.
And of course this kind of low boil war that is still very much in effect in the region, the Israeli Prime Minister, however, you know the backdrop
to all of this is the fact that the prime minister has been under major scrutiny and major criticism here in Israel over warnings that he
reportedly received from the UAE's President Mohamed bin Zayed in the days before October 7th, the prime minister's office has, in the past, tried to
get the UAE to deny these reports publicly.
All they got from the UAE was a statement from the UAE's foreign ministry saying that they do not comment on these types of foreign media reports.
That statement also said at the time that there are that any intelligence you know is shared between these two countries as necessary through the
appropriate channels.
The Israeli Prime Minister has in the past denied receiving these kinds of warnings, but that reporting has really escalated in recent days.
[11:05:00]
Not only "Haaretz" and "The New York Times", both reporting that Prime Minister Netanyahu received warnings from the UAE, but also now this new
report in the Atlantic indicating that Egypt's intelligence chief also traveled to Israel on September 26th, you know, a couple weeks before the
October 7th attacks, and warned that Gaza was about to blow up.
Now the Israeli Prime Minister's rivals in this election, which is slated to take place in just under a month now, they have been seizing on these
reports as yet more evidence that the Israeli Prime Minister failed the country on October 7th, and in the days and weeks leading up to it, ignored
potential warnings of an attack that could take place, and indeed did take place from the Gaza Strip on that fateful day of October 7th, 2023.
Now, the last time the Israeli Prime Minister visited the UAE was back in March, amid the Iran war. That visit was only revealed months later. The
prime minister has yet to actually make an official visit to the UAE that has been publicly acknowledged and on camera in the way that you would
expect between two countries with diplomatic relations, but that has not happened in this case, Zain.
ASHER: All right, Jeremy Diamond live for us there. Thank you so much. Right, joining us live now is Steven Cook, the Senior Fellow for Middle
East and Africa Studies at the Council of Foreign Relations, he's also the author of "The End of Ambition: America's Past, Present, and Future in the
Middle East".
Steven, welcome. So, I do want to talk about the situation between the U.S. and Iran because you had the Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi
essentially saying Sunday that Iran was ready for either scenario, either a return to diplomacy or further escalation, and essentially saying that the
choice was President Trump's.
For President Trump, who is of course thinking about the midterm elections, he's at a crossroads, either to escalate militarily or to sort of wait it
out, or perhaps a return to the negotiating table. At this point in time, based on what we've seen over the past seven months, which option is most
likely to yield the outcome that the president wants, Steven?
STEVEN A. COOK, THE SENIOR FELLOW FOR MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA STUDIES AT THE COUNCIL OF FOREIGN RELATIONS Well, that's a great question, Zain. And
what's interesting about the foreign minister's statement is that it tends to mirror the statements of the President of the United States that there's
a choice to be made and a decision will be made, and it's either escalation for which they are prepared or negotiation.
I think a lot of this is gamesmanship between the president and Iranian officials. There's clearly a desire on both sides for at least indirect
talks at this moment. The president has acknowledged those indirect talks, and the Iranian Foreign Minister will remain in the United States through
midweek.
So, I think that the president probably wants neither an escalation nor a diplomatic end to it. He just wants the not to be a major crisis between
now and when the midterm elections are held, which is why he keeps talking about after the midterms, after the midterms.
ASHER: When you think about what Iran wants in order to sort of bring this war to an end, just in terms of what they're negotiating for at this point
in time, they're demanding a seven-day ceasefire across the Middle East, which of course includes Lebanon. They're also demanding the unfreezing of
its assets, lifting sanctions on its oil sector, and end also to the U.S. naval blockade.
Which of these points do you think the U.S. is going to have to sort of give in on in order to bring this war to an end, Steven?
COOK: Yeah, and this is the problem: is that the basis upon which the administration rejected the Iranian proposal is the same basis for which it
had rejected previous proposals. Now, one side is going to have to give. We understand that some of the Iranians' Arab neighbors have been counseling
the Iranians to make a concession on Iran's nuclear program.
There is no indication that they're pressuring the United States on anything other than to go back to the negotiating table with the Iranians.
Interestingly, the Saudis and the Emirates do not want the United States to let up on economic pressure, so it doesn't seem that the president is as a
difficult position with his partners in the region while they are counseling the Iranians to make some sort of concession to the United
States, that would bring the United States back to the table.
ASHER: Just last week, just a few days ago, you had the U.S. President welcoming Xi Jinping to the United States. And we understand that the
president did bring up this issue that is pressing the U.S. that obviously China does have a lot of leverage when it comes to Iran.
The fact that it was apparently Chinese surveillance that assisted Iran in basically targeting U.S. forces. And of course, China propping up Iran
economically, just in terms of being a large purchaser of Iranian oil.
[11:10:00]
Is that the missing ingredient here? I mean, obviously, we don't necessarily know what the outcome of that conversation actually was.
Obviously, we do know that there were no major breakthroughs in terms of what came out of this meeting. The two leaders are likely going to meet in
the coming months again.
But is that the missing? If the U.S. can actually put pressure on China, which, by the way, many would say is highly unlikely, is that the thing
that could turn this thing around, Steven?
COOK: Well, put me in that category. The highly unlikely.
ASHER: Yeah.
COOK: Certainly, China and the United States share an interest in freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz. But if you look at China's
overall strategic interest, it's not necessarily a bad thing for the United States to be bogged down in the Middle East while the Chinese are
continuing their build-up in East Asia.
Distracted United States, a weakened, relatively weakened United States, is better for the Chinese, and that's why we've seen the Chinese assisting the
Iranians in discrete ways. But certainly, the idea that the Chinese who do have influence with the Iranians can put pressure on them is at least in
you know a White House conference room seems like a pretty good idea.
ASHER: All right, Steven Cook live for us there. Thank you so much.
COOK: Thank you.
ASHER: All right, let's get back to our top story, Scotland Yard has just said the five men taken into custody in connection with a plot against an
air base used by U.S. forces are being released on bail. Nic Robertson is live on the scene in Fairford. Nic, what more are we learning?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yeah, very few sort of concrete details about why they've been released on bail so early. But what
we do understand is when people are taken by the police, arrested in this way, and we know that they were initially arrested on explosives or
suspicion of explosives charges contravening the Explosives Act, and also then later on the basis of the planning or preparing for an act of
terrorism.
Those were the two basic charges, which gives, because of the potential terrorism charges there, which would give the police two weeks to question
the men when they are released on bail, as they have been, and the police are making it very clear they're still under investigation.
When they're released on bail, it appears to indicate that there is nothing of substance yet that the police have that they could -- that could lead to
these charges being followed through. So implicit in that, and at the moment we don't have this explicitly, but implicitly in that, if they have
been arrested or detained on suspicion of the breaching the Explosives Act, and they've been released on bail.
Implicitly, it would seem to imply that no actual explosives or no viable explosive device was found in those three white vans that we know that the
bomb disposal squad were called in early for. We also know that the head of the counterterrorism policing, who was giving that press conference spoke
about the motivations of people.
He said sometimes they are not being motivated by terrorism per se, but the possibility of financial gain. And it appears here that is perhaps alluding
to what we've seen in the UK over the past year or so, where there have been allegations leveled against the Russian government or connections to
the Russian government, allegations against connections to the Iranian government that individuals have been hired for literally a few $100 or so
to commit criminal acts, setting fire to a warehouse of goods that were destined to go to Ukraine.
That happened in London a few years ago. Went through the courts. A group of young men, early 20s, teenage years, were found to have perpetrated this
act that could have been interpreted as sort of terrorism, if you will, and done it for a foreign power. And that's what the police are saying at this
time.
They are saying that they're not clear, or they're certainly keeping their mind open to whether or not these individuals potentially were acting
knowingly or unknowingly for a foreign state. So, precisely where that leaves the investigation is not entirely clear, but it certainly does leave
a lot of questions in the community here because I think people genuinely believed that these men were up to no good, on the cusp of committing some
kind of desperate act, and that they've been caught and would face further proceedings.
ASHER: -- that the U.S. Air Force based at RAF Fairford has said that they are cautious and essentially vigilant. But do we know what extra sort of
protection or security measures are being taken at this point in time?
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ROBERTSON: Well, certainly, I mean, I don't know if -- if you can sort of zoom in over my shoulder here, but you might just be able to see the gate
that goes into the part of the base center. If you can make out, there's a concrete block and a heavy, you know, a heavy sort of truck parked there,
and that's what residents say they'd seen appearing at the gates around the airfield.
And what we've witnessed here in the past 24 hours, local residents say they'd seen these sorts of heavy blocks put in place of the gates here at
this base over the past week, and they had understood. Local residents have told us that they understood that the base was sort of on a higher level of
security alert.
We've heard that from the local councilor. I heard that from the local MP as well earlier on today. That there was a sense that this base was already
under a heightened state of security alert, no one knows or is publicly speaking about the reasons for that. We do know that the IRGC in Iran,
because this base has been used by U.S. Air Force B-1 Lancer bombers to bomb Iran in March earlier this year, that the IRGC in Iran had threatened
to attack this base.
British -- responded and say they could, you know, they were able to defend their own bases. So that threat has sort of been in the air for a number of
months. But the base here, according to local residents, had gone on to a higher level of security. Now we know that about 80 or so families were
moved out from a village not far from here, it is possible that they may go back tonight.
It's not clear at this stage, but certainly the cordon around the base that prevents access to some of the main entrance. The base is just down the
road there behind me. The main police armed police road closure here is still very much in place.
ASHER: Nic Robertson live for us there in the UK. Thank you. Right, Pope Leo the 14th is leading a mass in Metz in France before heading back to
Rome next hour. He is on the last leg of his four-day trip to France. Earlier, he gave a speech in Metz where he urged Europeans to welcome
migrants as if they were a family member.
And without specifically mentioning the Ukraine war, he also said negotiators must be willing to make concessions to achieve peace. Let's go
to CNN's Melissa Bell in Paris. So, Melissa, just in terms of the reception that this Pope has seen, France is obviously a secular country.
Yes, of course, it does have Catholic roots, but church attendance is declining across Europe. But still, the fact that the Pope can command that
sort of crowd I'm talked about 800,000 people showed up at one point to see him. That really does say something, Melissa.
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It does, and you're right. There are those declining figures in church attendance across Europe
that had been something that we've been talking about and seeing for years. What's changed in France over the course of the last couple is that we've
started to notice a rise in the number of baptisms.
And many of France's young going towards Catholicism, even those that had not come from backgrounds that were necessarily Catholic. In fact, we've
been digging into this and looking at this sort of new breed of digital influencers that have been bringing this Catholic faith to the young that
didn't necessarily know it.
And it's been quite a surprising phenomenon, and one that we've been trying to track. We spent a bit of time outside the Sel de France on Friday night,
where 80,000 youth, so between 17 and 35 years old had come, and the enthusiasm was really quite extraordinary. And then you saw it in the
streets. I mean, there had been talk of some million people making their way to try and catch the glimpse of the Pope.
What we saw was 1.3 million people making it to the streets of Paris and Lourdes. And one thing that struck me as well on Saturday near the Arc de
Triomphe was just the enthusiasm of the crowds. They stood there, many of them with young children and families for many hours, waving their flags.
Their sort of enthusiasm undimmed by the cold or the length of their stay there. And I think that sort of religious fervor is something that we're
not really used to seeing or embracing in, as you describe it, what is a very secular country. There's also been this sort of undercurrent in a lot
of what the Pope has had to say these last few days about the sanctity of human life.
You know, the last time we had a state visit from the Pope was Pope Benedict 18 years ago, and he insisted on the sanctity of life, speaking
out against abortion and assisted dying. This time, Pope Leo came back to an even more secular France. We've now had abortion made a constitutional
right.
France has passed this summer an assisted dying law that allows people who are terminally ill and suffering to seek assisted dying, and that has
proven controversial to the church. It is something that Pope Leo has spoken about over the course of the last four days, insisting on the
church's preservation of the idea of sanctity of life.
And so, speaking about out really against this latest step here in France, it is something clearly that the church condones. Otherwise, it has also
been a fairly political visit when it comes to issues like migration.
[11:20:00]
That has been a theme of the last four days with the Pope visiting a migrant center in Paris before his big massive sachet. Also speaking out in
that speech today about Europe, about the importance of European integration, its roots in Christian values, and the necessity of looking of
being courageous today when it came to peace negotiations, given the return of war to the European continent.
So quite a political field to a lot of what he had to say, and that, but the other strain, of course, the deeply religious moments that so many
French Catholics made it clear they were very excited to be a part of.
ASHER: Right, Melissa Bell, thank you. Thank you for that. Appreciate it. Right, still ahead on "One World", a deadly night in South Africa as
separate shooting.
BELL: Thank you so much.
ASHER: 30 people dead. We'll have more after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: All right, two new giant pandas have arrived in the U.S. Ping Ping and Fu Shuang made it to Atlanta Zoo on Sunday. The dynamic duo is sure to
be a hit with kids and grown-ups alike. The pair are part of Beijing's long tradition of panda diplomacy during their time at Atlanta Zoo.
The pair is meant to breed with to boost panda populations, which are considered vulnerable by conservationists. Ivan Rodriguez is at the Atlanta
Zoo for us with more on the panda diplomats. This is really essentially a symbol of friendship between the U.S. and China. Just take us through it.
IVAN RODRIGUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Zain, absolutely, Zoo Atlanta's newest guests, Ping Ping and Fu Shuang, are currently in quarantine inside of the
zoo after arriving from China Sunday morning. It was a 15-hour journey aboard a FedEx Boeing 777 with a big panda painted on the side of the
airplane, when they arrived at Harrisville Jackson, they were then loaded onto FedEx trucks that took them on that 10-mile journey from the airport
here to Zoo Atlanta.
There was even a police escort. It was a big deal on Sunday as they made their way here to the zoo. And you guessed it, those FedEx trucks also had
pandas painted on the sides of them as well. As that sign behind me says this is huge, and we've been speaking to people this morning who are
excited to see the pandas and hear what one resident who's also a member of the zoo had to say about what this could mean for U.S.-China relations.
[11:25:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REBECCA SCHRODT, ATLANTA RESIDENT AND ZOO ATLANTA MEMBER: Well, anything positive could help with relations between the U.S. and China. So, it's one
more little step, and other zoos are doing the same thing, so it makes you know multiple steps, and it's good for the future of our relations.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RODRIGUEZ: If you're going to want to see Ping Ping and Fu Shuang, you're going to have to wait a little bit. They're going to stay in quarantine,
zoo officials say for about one month, and then there's still no specific date for when they will be on display to the public. So those eager Ping
Ping and Fu Shuang fans are going to have to wait a little bit.
Now this new agreement is a 10-year agreement to have both of these pandas here at Zoo Atlanta. Let's remember again that there are currently two
other zoos that have pandas. One is the National Zoo in D.C. The other one is the San Diego Zoo as well. So again, this is very exciting news to the
panda diplomacy, as it's been known now for many decades.
It's helped in a way to have those relations between the U.S. and China started back in 1972 after President Nixon's historic trip to China, Zain.
ASHER: All right, Ivan Rodriguez, live for us there. Thank you so much. All right, still ahead on "One World", the ladies dominated at this year's MTV
Video Music Awards with Taylor Swift taking home a first of its kind award. More on that historic night just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: All right, welcome back to "One World". I'm Zain Asher in New York. Here are some of the headlines we are watching today. U.S. President Donald
Trump says he expects negotiations with Iran to continue this week, just days after he rejected a proposal from Iran that would have reopened the
Strait of Hormuz.
Iran says it's open to diplomacy, but is also preparing for a doomsday war with the U.S. if necessary.
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Russia pounded the Ukrainian capital today, hitting the National Academy of Sciences in Kyiv, as well as other targets. Kyiv's Mayor says at least one
person was killed and more than a dozen wounded in drone attacks in recent weeks. Moscow has been hitting Ukrainian cities with faster, high-flying
jet drones.
Police say five British nationals who were under arrest in the UK on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act are being released on bail. They
were detained early Sunday morning near a British air base, which has been used by the U.S. to launch strikes on Iran. Iran strongly denies any
attempts to link Iran to the arrests.
And a major milestone for SpaceX and its Starship rocket, it conducted its 14th flight test on Monday, launching earlier today from Texas to
successfully reach orbit and deploy 26 Starlink satellites. SpaceX says it's ending the mission earlier than planned. However, after a recent
checkpoint analysis.
Right, more than 30 people have been killed in separate mass shootings across South Africa. Gunmen dressed in balaclavas opened fire in a bar on
Saturday evening, killing 17 people. Then, just hours later, 15 people were shot and killed at venue near Cape Town.
These incidents are the latest in South Africa's long-running gun and gang violence crisis. And while authorities are still trying to pin down an
exact motive, the provincial police commissioner has said one of the attacks may have been in retaliation for a shooting in the same bar a month
earlier.
CNN's Larry Madowo is joining us live now with more. I mean, this is staggering. One of the things that we've talked about in the show is that
you know South Africa does have some of the highest murder rates in the world. What do we know about what happened here, Larry?
LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They are unrelated, at least at this time. Police are still investigating, and South African police say they've formed
a multidisciplinary team to investigate at least the one incident in the Western Cape where 10 people were killed at an entertainment venue that
also sells barbecued meat, braai meat.
They call it a shisanyama in South Africa. And social media video that shared on social media appeared to show people having fun, enjoying
themselves, dancing, and then shots ring out and all -- breaks loose. People running for cover. That's an investigation, and one of the possible
motives is a retaliation for another shooting at the same venue last month.
The other one that has captured the nation's attention is this one outside Johannesburg at a tavern, which happened late Saturday night, and eight
hooded men are reported to have appeared at this scene and began shooting indiscriminately. One eyewitness here describes what he saw.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SIYABONGO VOKWANA, WEDELA RESIDENT AND SHOOTING EYEWITNESS: There are eight members. They put butter gloves and the boots and some jacket. Those jacket
for Lesotho. And then they come in, and they just find the people on the tavern starting to check.
After checking, they start shooting. And then they go, they come for the second time. Outside the cars are burning. On that particular time, people
they are running all over the area, but they are getting shot.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MADOWO: He describes. a chaotic scene from that eyewitness. These gunmen in balaclavas escaped in in two cars. Police have so far identified only four
of the victims, two South Africans and two Lesotho nationals, and one other person who had survived the shooting died on Monday.
So, the total number of deaths in just that one incident outside Johannesburg now at 18 people, and this has been a bloody weekend in South
Africa. South Africa has high rates of violent crime. South African police statistics say at least 58 people are killed every day.
That's in the first three months of 2026. There are concerns around organized crime about rival gangs, sometimes related to taxis that public
transport vehicles of the country. There's a wider concern also in the country in recent months about violent crime targeting women.
South Africa is one of the highest femicide cases in the world. So, all of these things taken together paints a truly grim picture. South African
President Cyril Ramaphosa said this level of crime cannot continue. That crime, violence, and criminality have gone to a level that is
unsustainable.
He's directed authorities to pull out all stops to bring it to a stop. But many in civil society, other resident groups say many in the country live
in fear because of these incidents happening in different parts of the country. We saw the bloody night in the Western Cape, where there was the
incident at the shisanyama, another shooting where four people were killed, another one not too far from that as well.
[11:35:00]
So taken all together, it's a really delicate situation where people who are at entertainment venues, at taverns, at shisanyamas at other places
where they gather, or sometimes other homes getting killed, and that makes South Africa a place where one of the most violent places in the world,
despite all of the assurances from security services, Zain.
ASHER: Yeah, it certainly is a complex problem. There are a lot of root causes to this, and that's actually what I'm going to be discussing with my
next guest, really about the large sort of femicide rates in that country, and staying with South Africa -- Thank you, Larry, by the way.
Staying with South Africa, fears of a possible serial killer are on the rise after another body was discovered in Johannesburg, the 10th woman in
three months. An investigation around a series of femicides was actually launched in July, following the discovery of three bodies near one another
in the Ekurhuleni region.
Six more victims were found over 10 days in September, further raising concern that the killings actually may be linked. High rates of violence
against women have been continually recorded in South Africa, with the latest incident sparking a national outcry over women's safety.
Joining us live now from Johannesburg is South African Crime Expert Yusuf Abramjee. Yusuf, thank you so much for being with us. The high rates of
violence in South Africa in general are very concerning, as you know, but especially violence against women, femicide.
35 percent according to a national study, 35 percent of South African women said that they have experienced some kind of physical or sexual violence in
their lifetime. And just anecdotally, women in South Africa are afraid to do anything alone. You know, just according to how they describe the
situation, whether it's going out for a run, whether it's going out at night, whether it is entering an Uber or a taxi by themselves.
Just explain to us why. I mean, obviously, South Africa is not the only country in the world that has high levels of gender-based violence, of
course, but why is the problem so high in this country, Yusuf?
YUSUF ABRAMJEE, SOUTH AFRICAN CRIME EXPERT: Zain, we do live in a bloody country. We know that blood, bodies, and bullets have sadly become a way of
life. And Larry is right. We've had a bloody 48 hours. In fact, the latest count I have is that 191 people have been murdered in mass shootings.
About 44 incidents since the beginning of the year. The past few days, we've had about four or five incidents in Gauteng in the Western Cape, and
also in KwaZulu-Natal. When it comes to femicide, gender-based violence has been a problem for many, many years. In fact, the government declared it a
national emergency last year, but we've seen very little action in terms of protecting, especially females.
What we've seen on the east end of Gauteng, which is about an hour's drive from the capital of Pretoria, is exactly what you've mentioned earlier 11
bodies have been found. The last body was found yesterday. In two of those particular incidents, Zain, suspects have been arrested.
But so far, police have made no progress in apprehending the suspect, the killer, or the killers behind the other murders. We even haven't had
confirmation whether or not a serial killer may be at work. And Larry mentioned, you know, our average murder rate in South Africa is 58.
In fact, that murder rate came down slightly. I'm talking of 58 or 60 people being murdered each and every day, that's a sad indictment on our
country. And really, I think the government have their hands full in making sure that we bring down the high levels of crime. And yes, indeed, fear has
gripped many communities.
The one victim was a runner. She was murdered. Her body was found on the side of a road. And really, the government will have to move at speed to
make sure that South Africans and even our visitors are safeguarded, Zain.
ASHER: When it comes to the solution, though, you know, just in terms of just staying with femicide and not the broader issue of violence, but
particularly violence against women. When it comes to the solution, all of South African women are being told, especially at a time like this, and as
you mentioned, it's been a problem for many years.
But they're being told, be cautious, be vigilant, don't go out by yourselves. And obviously, that's not a real solution. That doesn't work
long term. Some women have been saying, look, the government needs to do more. The police need to do more. Rather than just sort of telling us not
to go out by ourselves, the police should be doing more to protect us.
Why isn't that the case, do you think, Yusuf?
ABRAMJEE: Indeed, you know we often give safety tips. Do this. Don't walk alone. Use a safety or an emergency application. Inform people and try to
run in groups and so on. But the reality is, South African streets are not safe to walk on, walking, and really, I think we don't have number one in
my view the political will.
Secondly, our South African police service is under resourced. We know that corruption and inefficiencies have become the order of the day.
[11:40:00]
We have a commission of inquiry, the Madlanga Commission, that has been sitting for almost a year where allegations of corruption have come to the
fore, we know that police visibility, with the limited resources, is a major problem, and also organized crime, whether it is the illegal miners
operating in Gauteng searching for gold day or night.
And that possibly the motive behind the Carletonville incident, where 18 people were killed at the weekend, or whether it is in the Western Cape, in
the Cape Town area, where extortion gangs are trying their luck at every turn. The reality is, organized crime has sadly become a problem.
We have one of the highest crime rates on the continent, and that is a concern. Crime intelligence is sorely lacking. We need communities to take
a firm stand because remember these killers come from within the communities, and the big problem we have, Zain, is the easy availability of
illegal firearms.
In both these incidents this weekend, heavy caliber firearms were used, AK- 47 semi-automatic rifles, pistols. It shows you how dangerous and how brazen these gangs have become. So, the easy availability of fire arms
coming in largely from neighboring countries like Mozambique is contributing to the high levels of crime, and that is why these criminals
are taking advantage, and that is why our blood continues sadly to flow.
ASHER: Yeah, you mentioned you know the sort of access to firearms flowing into the country. That's part of the broader issue with violence, and you
mentioned illegal mining as well. But when it goes -- when coming back to sort of femicide, as we were talking about, you were saying that part of
the problem is inefficiency when it comes to police operations.
The police in South Africa are under resource. I think I read that only about 1 in 10 murders in South Africa actually get solved. There's the
issue of corruption, and you mentioned political will. The fact is, while those are problems, though, tougher laws and better policing operations is
only part of the solution.
The education of men and boys, just community involvement, has to also be part of the equation as well, Yusuf.
ABRAMJEE: Indeed. You know, you talk of our criminal justice system. Yes, many thousands and thousands of cases go unsolved. We know that the cold
cases run into tens of thousands of cases that haven't been solved, and we know in some cases, while there are breakthroughs, especially in the high-
profile cases, many of these criminals are getting away with so-called daylight robbery.
We are certainly living, Zain, in the wild west. The court system is backed up. It takes years before a case comes before a court of law. So, I think
we're going to need a considered effort. In my view, the laws are in place. We have good laws. We know that there are sentences that could be a bit
harder.
We know the easy granting of bail for criminal suspects has been a major problem. That is why there is no quick fix solution. We need a multifaceted
approach, but more importantly, we need government to lead the fight against crime. And our president made the comment at the weekend during an
election visit in KwaZulu-Natal, where he says men in South Africa should take responsibility.
Boys should stand up. How do we sit back and allow the women of South Africa to be murdered in the coast manner in which it is happening? And
really, the focus has been on 11 bodies on the east end. But remember, throughout the year, we still have an average of 58 or 60 murders a day.
So, while the spotlight is now on the 11 murders and the mass killings, remember that these murders continue each and every day, and that is why we
need urgency. And I would appeal to the South African government yet again is to take an immediate and urgent action to bring down the high levels of
crime in our country.
ASHER: I mean, the statistics that you just laid out are unbelievable. Like, I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around those sorts of
numbers. The violence in South Africa is so staggering high, and there doesn't seem to be an obvious or simple solution in sight.
Obviously, this is a complex issue. Thank you so much. And as you point out, it didn't just start today. South Africans have been living in this
kind of environment for many, many years. Yusuf Abramjee, thank you so much. We'll be right back with more after this short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:45:00]
ASHER: All right. South Africa has become a major player in the global film industry, drawing Hollywood productions, streaming giants, and billions in
investments. This week on our Africa Inc. series, Adefemi Akinsanya takes us inside Cape Town's booming production scene, where film is not just
entertainment but an economic engine.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ADEFEMI AKINSANYA, CNN HOST, AFRICA INC.: Cape Town Film Studios is Africa's first custom-built Hollywood-style studio complex. It's been rated
the best of its kind in the developing world. And since December 2010, it has poured hundreds of millions of dollars into the South African economy
while helping to create tens of thousands of jobs, turning what started as a single sound stage into one of the continent's most lucrative production
hubs --
AKINSANYA (voice-over): And it's the brainchild of legendary South African filmmaker Anant Singh.
ANANT SINGH, CHAIRMAN OF CAPE TOWN FILM STUDIOS: We built these studios that we're sitting in, in -- towards the latter part of the 90s, and once
we had that, it made it brought an impetus to large films coming here and lots of series, et cetera.
AKINSANYA (voice-over): From Mad Max, Fury Road, and Tomb Raider to black sales and Netflix's One Piece, Cape Town Film Studios has drawn some of the
world's biggest titles, and the payoff is massive. Over a billion U.S. dollars pumped into the economy, and nearly 100,000 jobs created in the
first decade alone.
To understand how that global footprint translates on the ground, I met with film expert Dr. Liani Maasdorp at the University of Cape Town.
AKINSANYA: How, if at all, is South Africa benefiting from this international attention?
LIANI MAASDORP, SENIOR LECTURER AT UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN: The National Film and Video Foundation estimates that the film industry is contributing
3.5 billion rand to the local economy, and it's not only creating jobs. They estimate 25,000 jobs, which, by the way, is more than the mining
sector.
They also estimate that there's a massive amount of income that's generated via other industries. So, you can just imagine if a big form production
happens in Johannesburg, then the hotels benefit, you know, the ground transport, the drivers, the shuttle companies benefit, the restaurants
benefit, the catering.
So, there's so many other industries that also benefit.
AKINSANYA (voice-over): One of the companies capitalizing on that edge is Blue Ice Africa. Founded in 2015, they've serviced over 70 productions,
including 15 formal co-productions, running up to six shows at once, handling logistics, financing, and equity for Hollywood studios.
Along the way, they've put more than 11,000 South Africans to work on set and tens of thousands more as background cast.
TEBOGO MAILA, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF BLUE ICE AFRICA: You're sitting with unemployment that has reached now 33.6 percent in the second quarter here.
[11:50:00]
We feel like we -- like that economic and you know engine that basically feeds into creating jobs, creating transferable skills, and you know
developing a much broader production ecosystem in feeding into transport, feeding into travel, accommodation, feeding into you know logistics and
security.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: All right, you are looking at live pictures, the SpaceX rocket on its way back to Earth. It has actually just re-entered the Earth's
atmosphere. SpaceX decided to end Starship's mission a little bit early after successfully making orbit for the first time. There it is on its way
back to Earth.
All right, it was definitely Ladies Night at the MTV Video Music Awards female artists taking home the majority of the Moonmen. The big winner, no
surprise, Taylor Swift. She set another record for her career, officially surpassing Beyonce as the most awarded artist in VMA history.
Tay-Tay picked up the first ever Artist Director award. She now holds 33 Moonmen. Elizabeth Wagmeister joins us live now from Los Angeles with more.
I feel a little bit awkward calling her Tay-Tay, but I guess that is what everybody else calls her. I love seeing the picture of her and Madonna.
Obviously, two completely different generations. You have obviously Taylor Swift, who is an icon of this generation and Madonna actually sweeping
across multiple categories for the first time in, when was the last time she was nominated? What 27 years ago or so? Take us through, Elizabeth.
ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Yes, so you're absolutely right. It was ladies' night, and it was really incredible to see
this mutual respect for artists across generations, and that's something that Madonna has been doing for decades.
You know, she really is an icon of so many generations. She opened the show with Sabrina Carpenter and Charli XCX, and that again just shows how she
really showcases talent of other generations. It was truly an epic performance. I have to tell you, to be there was pretty incredible.
To see Madonna at 68 years old, looking incredible, sounding incredible, she was the big winner of the night with seven awards. And you are right,
Zain, that she has a ton of history at the VMAs.
[11:55:00]
In fact, she was at the first VMAs back in 1984, 42 years ago where she performed like a virgin, famously in a wedding dress. But she had not
performed at the VMAs for 23 years. Her last performance, Zain, was we all remember this iconic moment when she kissed Britney Spears and performed
with her and Christina Aguilera on stage.
That was her last performance. So, for her to come and to perform and be the biggest winner. It really is a testament to her staying power in this
industry and as a pop culture icon. And her new album is really, really good. I don't think that it's gotten enough attention. So, I was glad to
see her have such a big night.
Now, as you said, Taylor Swift also the big winner. She won two awards and the first ever artist director award, which was created essentially for her
to celebrate her work as a music video director. She also debuted her new music video for "Patient Zero", which is one of her new songs that just
came out on her "Encore" album, which is the four new songs that are you know in addition to her "Life of a Showgirl" album.
Now, when Taylor Swift won the big award at the end of the night for Video of the Year for "The Fate of Ophelia", she actually dedicated her award to
Dolly Parton. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TAYLOR SWIFT, AWARD-WINNING SINGER-SONGWRITER: Every single song that she wrote, her storytelling was so vivid and so rich. It was like listening to
her songs. It's like watching the best music video you have ever seen in your life every single time you hear what she has written, and she, man,
she handled this thing with such grace and joy and love and gratitude for the fact that she got to do this.
And everything that happened in her life or her career, she channeled back into love, and gratitude, and appreciation for her fans. I am lucky I got
to be one of them, and I will always be one of them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WAGMEISTER: Dolly's presence was very much felt last night. Kacey Musgraves also singing her rendition of "I Will Always Love You" in tribute to Dolly,
Kacey was a huge Dolly fan, and she was actually one of the first people to speak out when Dolly passed. So, a really nice tribute there, Zain.
ASHER: Oh, just beautiful, and I really enjoyed listening to Tay-Tay's words there at the end. All right, Elizabeth Wagmeister live for us. Thank
you so much. Stay with CNN, and I'll have much more "One World" after the short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
