South African cartoonists respond to Charlie Hebdo attack

Jonathan Shapiro, who publishes under the pen name Zapiro, described the shooting as the "worst attack on journalism, satirists, the press, and all free thinkers in society that we have seen in recent times," in an interview with the Mail & Guardian newspaper.

Zapiro is a globally respected and the recipient of numerous global awards for his work, including the 2007 Courage in Editorial Cartooning Award from the Cartoonists Rights Network. In 2008 the Media Institute of Southern Africa awarded Zapiro its Misa Press Freedom Award for his two decades of humour and satire in South Africa.

"I hope that it doesn't have a further chilling effect on satirists, commentators and journalists; any free thinkers in society," Zapiro said of Wednesday's attack. "But I'm afraid that scenario is probably inevitable."

He added: "Society in general, and hopefully Muslim leaders in particular, need to say that this is not what Islam is about and that this is not supported by the Islamic faith, to prevent any further spread of Islamophobia."

View a selection of other South African cartoonists' responses to the Charlie Hebdo attack, and below their cartoons, political cartoonists around the world are tweeting their response to the massacre at the French magazine Charlie Hebdo, where armed gunmen killed four French cartoonists:

Brandan Reynolds in Business Day

Jerm in the Daily Maverick

Stephen Francis and Rico's Madam & Eve in Independent Newspapers

Rico Schacherl

And internationally...12 powerful political cartoons responding to the Charlie Hebdo attack