As the City of Cape Town expects to become the most populous metropolitan area in South Africa over the coming years, it is preparing its transport infrastructure for the influx of vehicles through several road innovations that have never before been implemented in the country.

Taking hints from international best practices and applying them locally, Cape Town authorities have found innovative ways to transform limited space and budgets into safer roads that can accommodate more traffic.
“The City of Cape Town is at a pinnacle point for transport innovation – be it in the recycled material we use to resurface roads, artificial intelligence to improve road safety and facilitate traffic flow, or bold steps to ensure uninterrupted power supply and infrastructure resilient to vandalism and theft,” said the city.

It highlighted bold innovations currently being implemented, or which have already been instated, as the first to be pioneered by any municipality in South Africa.

Thermal pedestrian sensors
Cape Town has installed thermal sensors at key pedestrian crossings to detect whether there is any pedestrian movement.
Should the pedestrian leave the detection zone before the pedestrian cycle is activated, the pedestrian request will be cancelled altogether. Thus, vehicles will not be stopped unnecessarily.

“This innovative system is widely used in Europe to improve traffic,” said the city.
These sensors are situated at four pedestrian crossings in Blaauwberg – along Marine Drive opposite Milky Lane, along Otto du Plessis Drive opposite Seal Road, along Otto du Plessis Drive at Shell Road, and along Otto du Plessis Drive close to Hill Road, opposite Doodles.

Reversible road
In June 2024, Cape Town activated a first-of-its-kind (for the country) reversible bus lane along the R27 between Loxton Road and Broad Road in Milnerton.

This bus lane, for exclusive use by MyCiTi vehicles, permits inbound travel towards the Civic Centre in the morning and outbound travel towards Table View in the afternoon.

The alternating direction flows are controlled and monitored through a technological system designed and implemented by the City.
Two thermal Artificial Intelligence-powered cameras have been installed at the entrances of this lane to detect unauthorised vehicles, reverse entry, and entry-without-exit.

The system is monitored from the Transport Management Centre (TMC) using a custom bus-lane dashboard.
Operating personnel at the TMC manage the system and actively monitor the lane for safety concerns. If any problem is detected, both red bus lane signs revert to closed and an alarm is raised at the TMC.

Underground theft protection
To protect valuable infrastructure such as traffic signal controllers and uninterrupted power supply (UPS) systems at traffic intersections from vandalism and theft, Cape Town is piloting underground storage chambers, also referred to as prefabricated underground utility manholes.

The prefabricated chambers are installed a few meters below the surface and are attached to a concrete base.
The traffic signal controllers and UPS system are stored inside the chamber, which is then sealed with a coded mechanical locking system.
The chamber is non-metallic and ribbed for strength and has no resale value. Given that it is underground, attached to concrete, and can only be opened by trained technicians, this new innovation is a solution to the ongoing theft and vandalism of expensive City equipment at hotpot intersections.

Sky circle
Cape Town recently announced it is about halfway through the construction of a freestanding elevated traffic circle at the intersection of Govan Mbeki Road (M9) and Jan Smuts Drive (M17) in Lansdowne.
This project forms part of the ongoing roll-out of the MyCiTi service to the metro-south east.

It’s described as a hollow circle standing 6.2m off the ground, letting in light to the intersection below.
Once complete, the so-called “sky circle” will be for the exclusive use of the MyCiTi buses.
“The free-standing elevated circle will be the first in South Africa, demonstrating civil engineering at its best, to the benefit of all road users,” said the city.

“By separating the MyCiTi buses from general traffic, the City will ensure the service operates optimally between Mitchells Plain and Khayelitsha and Wynberg and Claremont without being delayed by the traffic or congestion at the ground level of the intersection.”
This design will benefit MyCiTi commuters as it will reduce travelling time to their destinations.

Key Takeaways
•    Germany and Austria will no longer process asylum applications from Syrian nationals.
•    This decision follows the seizure of the Syrian capital by rebels and thousands of Syrian nationals heading back home, which, in the eyes of the EU, makes Syria's political future "uncertain".
•    Germany will not be processing 42,270 applications, as it is the top recipient country of asylum seekers from Syria.

Representatives of the German and Austrian governments have announced that their respective countries will no longer process asylum applications filed by Syrian nationals due to recent political developments.

Hundreds of Syrian refugees are returning to their homes after the fall of President Bashar Assad’s government; despite being perceived as positive among Syrians, the EU authorities point out the close ties between the rebels who have won and the Taliban in Afghanistan, which is viewed as concerning for the EU national security, Schengen.News reports.

Due to Syria’s political future, which is considered ‘uncertain’ by a spokesperson of Germany’s Federal Office for Migration and Refugees, a total of 47,270 applications will not be processed. Those who have already been decided on will not be impacted by the measure, as the local authorities have confirmed.

Austria Freezes 7,300 Asylum Applications Filed by Syrian Refugees
The Austrian Interior Minister, who is led by Gerhard Karner, has confirmed that the authorities will not process a total of 7,300 asylum applications filed by Syrian nationals.

Chancellor Karl Nehammer today instructed Interior Minister Gerhard Karner to suspend all current Syrian asylum applications and to review all cases in which asylum was granted.

Austrian Interior Ministry
Rebels have seized Damascus after 13 years of civil war in Syria, while President Assad has fled to Russia. During this period, millions of Syrians had to leave the country, many of them relocating to Central Europe, especially Germany. It is estimated that Syrian refugees are the number one nationality group to seek asylum in the EU the most throughout the years.
The Austrian Interior Minister also pointed out that he had taken measures to address the new changes but had not elaborated in further detail.

I have instructed the Ministry to prepare a programme of orderly repatriation and deportation to Syria.

Gerhard Kerner, Austrian Interior Minister
German Govt Receives Public Backlash for Its Stances Regarding Syrian Refugees
Lamya Kaddor, a member of Germany’s Green Party, has expressed that she is shocked how it is being called for deportations of Syrians, highlighting that this can impact many German Syrians as well.

I think that’s more than cynical and, to be honest, populist. And it misses the point of the lives of many German-Syrians and people who come from this region.

Lamya Kaddor, Germany's Green Party
According to data from the European Union Agency for Asylum, there were 13,634 first-time applications for asylum filed by Syrian nationals in August of 2024, while the total number of applications by this time had reached 14,045.
Germany received 48 per cent of Syria’s applications, which represents a total of 6,753, while Austria received 739 or five per cent of the total.

A KwaZulu-Natal woman allegedly tried to bribe an official who confronted her about the ghost scam
•    A 35-year-old woman was arrested on Wednesday at the Home Affairs office in Pietermaritzburg for allegedly registering the fake death of a "ghost child".
•    She was arrested in a joint sting operation between police and the Department of Home Affairs' counter-corruption and security team, during which she was recorded allegedly offering an employee a bribe.
•    News24 understands the woman was allegedly motivated by a R50 000 funeral cover.
A woman allegedly planning to cash in on a R50 000 funeral cover was arrested for submitting fraudulent documents to register the death of a "ghost child" at the Home Affairs office in Pietermaritzburg on Wednesday.

The woman also allegedly tried to bribe an official who confronted her about the scam.
Police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda confirmed that a 35-year-old woman was arrested for fraud and bribery and said she would appear in the Pietermaritzburg Magistrate's Court soon.

News24 understands that the woman attempted to register the death of a child whose last name was different from hers. However, when the Home Affairs employee assisting her asked her questions about it, she began shaking.
Her "hesitant demeanour" made the official suspicious.

A reliable source told News24 that when the woman failed to provide the employee with the details of the deceased child's mother, she allegedly confessed that she had bought the fraudulent documentation and wanted the death certificate so she could claim a R50 000 funeral cover.

The woman then apparently offered the official a R9 900 bribe for his silence.
Department of Home Affairs spokesperson Cyril Mncwabe told News24 that the employee alerted his superior and was asked to cooperate in a sting operation.

"When registering a death, there are documents that one brings in, and there are requirements," said Mncwabe  
"On investigation and after some questioning, it was discovered that the woman was trying to register a ghost child as deceased. When confronted about this, she offered the office manager a bribe to turn a blind eye and release her from the office.
"The office manager then contacted the department's counter corruption and security team, housed at that very office building. That was how a trap was put in place for her. The plan was for the office manager to receive this money, but this would happen under police [watch] so that the whole operation could be finalised with an arrest."

He said that when police were involved, the office manager recorded his interaction with the woman, who was heard offering him a bribe, and she was arrested.

Mncwabe said:
Through the department's counter corruption and security team, we have had a number of successful apprehensions, including those who have come to our offices to register fraudulent deaths, register non-existing children for the purposes of accessing child support grants, as well as people who have come to register for an ID where we have picked up that the ID number on the birth certificates do not belong to them.

He said about 10 people had been arrested for attempting to register fraudulent deaths, and about 10 people had been arrested for trying to register the birth of "ghost children".
Mncwabe said the unit's notable success was the conviction of those involved in a passport photo-swapping ring.
"One of our officials involved was sentenced to 10 years and above; some members of the public, including foreign nationals that had assisted in this passport photo swapping scam, were also convicted and sentenced this year."

The article by Bruce Andre Barkhuizen (Bruce Andre Barkhuizen ‘Are legal practitioners admitted in terms of the Legal Practice Act commissioners of oaths?’ 2024 (Dec) DR 20) raises pertinent questions about the powers of legal practitioners admitted under the Legal Practice Act 28 of 2014 (LPA), particularly regarding their status as commissioners of oaths. While the article rightly highlights the provisions of the Justices of the Peace and Commissioners of Oaths Act 16 of 1963, a broader and contextual understanding of the legislative framework is necessary to address the concerns raised.

Section 118 of the LPA
Section 118 of the LPA provides for the interpretation of references to legal practitioners in other laws. Specifically:
•    Subsection (a) states that references in any other law to an ‘advocate,’ ‘counsel,’ or ‘attorney’ must be construed as references to a legal practitioner under the LPA.
•    Subsection (e) clarifies that references to entities like the General Council of the Bar of South Africa or the Association of Law 

Societies must now be understood as references to the Legal Practice Council (LPC).
This section effectively ensures continuity by recognising legal practitioners admitted under the LPA as equivalent to those admitted under earlier legislation. Consequently, it harmonises their status across legal frameworks, including their designation as commissioners of oaths, where applicable.

Designation of commissioners of oaths
The article correctly references reg 2 of the ‘Designation of Commissioners of Oaths in terms of Section 6 of the Justices of the Peace and Commissioners of Oaths Act.’ However, it overlooks the implications of s 118 of the LPA. Since the LPA equates legal practitioners admitted under its provisions to those admitted under repealed laws, there is no basis to conclude that such practitioners are excluded from the powers of commissioners of oaths.

Unless explicitly excluded, the designation of attorneys, advocates, and notaries in reg 2 should extend to legal practitioners under the LPA. The continuity principle enshrined in s 118 supports this interpretation.

Validity of declarations and affidavits
The assertion that declarations commissioned by legal practitioners admitted under the LPA are invalid lacks legal foundation. The LPA’s harmonisation provisions (s 118) indicate that such practitioners retain the powers of commissioners of oaths, as historically conferred on attorneys and advocates.

The LPA was enacted to modernise and unify the legal profession in South Africa, including ensuring consistency in the powers and responsibilities of legal practitioners. The provisions of s 118 establish continuity between the LPA and earlier laws, thereby safeguarding the status of legal practitioners as commissioners of oaths where applicable.

The Department of Home Affairs extended its operating hours from 10 December. Heres what you should know¦The Department of Home Affairs has extended its operating hours. Image: Supplied The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) has extended its operating hours by two hours daily for all services. From 10 December to 20 December 2024,  offices will close at 18:00 instead of 16:00.HOME AFFAIRS EXTENDS OPERATING HOURS To ease pressure on its clients, the department has also introduced dedicated counters for collections in large offices that process Smart ID Cards and passports, where space allows.Clients can use the Department of Home Affairs website to book applications or collection appointments before visiting offices. The Branch Appointment Booking System (BABS) allows clients to book appointments before Visiting offices. The department also allows clients who cannot book appointments to visit as walk-ins. We would like to urge all clients who have applied for their identification documents and have been waiting for three weeks or more to seize this opportunity by visiting their Home Affairs office to collect these critical documents at their convenience,  spokesperson Siya Qoza said.