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Making headlines: Ramaphosa sacks DA's Whitfield as Deputy Trade Minister; DA retains Tshwane ward in by-election; And, Amnesty says sixteen deaths recorded in Kenya protests, most killed by police

Ramaphosa sacks DA's Whitfield as Deputy Trade Minister

President Cyril Ramaphosa has removed the Democratic Alliance’s Andrew Whitfield as deputy trade minister.

Ramaphosa's office said in a statement today that the president was not planning a wholesale cabinet reshuffle.

A spokesperson for the DA said Ramaphosa's decision to remove Whitfield from his post as deputy Trade, Industry and Competition Minister was "a very serious development," adding that the party's Federal Executive would meet later today to discuss the matter.

Ramaphosa's office did not say why Whitfield had been removed from the cabinet.

DA retains Tshwane ward in by-election

The Democratic Alliance has retained Ward 56 in Tshwane in Wednesday’s by-election, with the party seeing this as “extraordinary momentum” toward the upcoming Local Government Election.

DA Tshwane caucus leader Cilliers Brink said the party’s vote share in the ward grew from 50.05% in the 2024 election to 80% in the 2025 by-election.

The party welcomed newly elected Councillor Tiaan Dippenaar to the DA Tshwane caucus.

Brink believes the current African National Congress-Economic Freedom Fighters-ActionSA coalition leaves little hope for the people of Tshwane.

And, Amnesty says sixteen deaths recorded in Kenya protests, most killed by police

Sixteen people died during nationwide anti-government protests in Kenya on Wednesday, most of them killed by police, the head of Amnesty Kenya said, a year after deadly demonstrations against a tax bill culminated in the storming of parliament.

Thousands of Kenyans took to the streets to commemorate last year's demonstrations, in which more than 60 people died, with police firing tear gas and water cannons to disperse them in the capital Nairobi, according to local media and a Reuters witness.

Some protesters clashed with police, and 16 people were "verified dead as of 8:30", Amnesty Kenya's executive director Irungu Houghton told Reuters, adding that the figures were verified by the global rights watchdog and the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights.

The government-funded KNCHR earlier said eight deaths had been reported across the country, all "allegedly from gunshot wounds".

KNCHR said in a statement shared on its official X account that over 400 casualties have been reported, including demonstrators, police officers and journalists.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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