June 27, 2025.

For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Lumkile Nkomfe.

Making headlines:

Ramaphosa hits back at Steenhuisen and Whitfield

City of Tshwane welcomes court ruling setting aside 2019 Rooiwal tender

And, Congo drops demand for immediate Rwandan troop pullout, sources say

President Cyril Ramaphosa has he lashed out at Democratic Alliance leader John Steenhuisen and former Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition Andrew Whitfield, following Whitfield’s removal from Cabinet, a decision, Ramaphosa stressed, is the President’s constitutional prerogative.

The drama unfolded on Thursday when Ramaphosa removed Whitfield from his position as Deputy Minister, resulting in Steenhuisen demanding that the President also fire other members of Cabinet, who face allegations of corruption and mismanagement, within 48 hours or face “grave consequences”.

Ramaphosa acknowledged that he had dismissed Whitfield for undertaking a trip to the US without his permission, accusing him of “deliberately” violating the Cabinet rules. Ramaphosa said the DA had no grounds to issue ultimatums when the President “exercises his constitutional prerogative and responsibility”.

The DA will hold a press conference on the matter on Saturday and said the briefing will address the way forward for the party and the Government of National Unity.

The City of Tshwane has welcomed the North Gauteng High Court’s judgment declaring invalid the city’s 2019 decision to award a tender for the upgrade of the Rooiwal wastewater treatment plant, in Hammanskraal, to a consortium comprising Blackhead Consulting, NJR Projects and CMS Water Engineering.

The companies are ordered to repay to the City of Tshwane the profits made from the contract, with the High Court to determine the amount to be repaid following submission of expenses by the consortium within 60 days.

Should the companies fail to make the submissions, the city will appoint an independent contractor to determine expenses and calculate profits made from the tender.

Meanwhile, work to complete the upgrades to the Rooiwal wastewater treatment plant have progressed successfully.

Congolese negotiators have dropped a demand that Rwandan troops immediately leave eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, paving the way for a US-brokered peace agreement to be signed between the longtime foes, according to four sources.

Rwanda has sent at least 7 000 soldiers over the border, according to analysts and diplomats, in support of the M23 rebels, who seized eastern Congo's two largest cities and lucrative mining areas in a lightning advance earlier this year.

Rwanda has long denied providing arms and troops to M23 and says it is acting in self-defence.

Congolese and Rwandan officials are expected to sign a peace deal in Washington today following a diplomatic push by US President Donald Trump's administration to end years of conflict with roots in Rwanda's 1994 genocide.

The agreement also aims to attract Western investment to the two countries' mining sectors, which boast deposits of tantalum, gold, cobalt, copper and lithium, while giving the US access to critical minerals.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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