A City official is set to appear before the Bishop Lavis Magistrate’s Court tomorrow on charges of illegal possession of a firearm as well as ammunition.

Metro Police spokesperson Ruth Solomons says officers were on patrol along Jakes Gerwel Drive near Bonteheuwel when a motorist stopped them and reported that a truck driver allegedly pointed a firearm at them.

“The motorist pointed out the truck, and officers then proceeded to stop the driver. They requested permission to conduct a search, and found a firearm with one round in the chamber, and two magazines containing 15 rounds of ammunition.”

Solomons confirmed that the truck driver is a City employee and was arrested on the spot.

“The City vehicle he was driving was taken to the Metro Police depot in Bonteheuwel for safekeeping. The suspect was taken to the Bishop Lavis police station.”

Motorists planning to travel over the Easter long weekend are being warned to check their vehicle licence discs and driving licence cards, as the National Traffic Information System (Natis) reports that 700 399 vehicle licence discs will expire at the end of this month.

The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) spokesperson Simon Zwane says delays in renewal could lead to fines or travel disruptions.

“We urge people to renew their vehicle licences and licence cards timeously if they want to avoid inconvenience and embarrassment during the holiday period.”

 

The end-of-March expiry affects hundreds of thousands of vehicles nationwide. Motorists have the option of doing renewing their licences either online or at local centres to avoid last-minute stress.

Zwane added that motorists can renew discs from home via online.natis.gov.za, with discs guaranteed to be delivered within the same week.

“The disc is delivered within three to five working days. Since 2022, more than six million discs have been processed online.”

Provincial figures for expiring vehicle licence discs are:

• Gauteng: 259 563

• Western Cape: 116 633

• KwaZulu-Natal: 98 735

• Mpumalanga: 51 198

• Limpopo: 45 240

• Eastern Cape: 44 840

• North West: 36 335

• Free State: 31 964

• Northern Cape: 15 891

In the same period, 128 080 driving licence cards will expire. Provincial breakdowns include:

• Gauteng: 44 142 drivers

• KwaZulu-Natal: 20 188 drivers

• Western Cape: 17 108 drivers

• Mpumalanga: 12 515 drivers

• Limpopo: 11 831 drivers

• Eastern Cape: 8 404 drivers

• North West: 6 187 drivers

• Free State: 5 471 drivers

• Northern Cape: 2 234 drivers

“Drivers in Gauteng, Gqeberha and Karigan in the Eastern Cape can prebook online to renew their driving licence cards. Drivers in other provinces should visit their local driving licence centres,” Zwane advised.

More than 25,000 Volkswagen Polo Vivo vehicles have been recalled in South Africa due to a potential handbrake defect that could pose a safety risk.

The National Consumer Commission (NCC) announced on Thursday that 25,729 vehicles are affected by the recall.

The vehicles were sold nationally between February 2025 and February 2026, according to the commission.

Handbrake may not engage properly

Manufacturer Volkswagen Group Africa informed the NCC that the rivet height on the handbrake lever in the affected vehicles may be outside the required specification.

If this happens, the handbrake may not engage correctly or could unexpectedly disengage, particularly when the vehicle is parked on a slope.

Authorities say this could create a potential safety hazard, especially if a vehicle rolls while parked.

What owners should do

Owners of the affected vehicles are urged to take precautionary steps until their vehicles are inspected.

Drivers should:

• Park the vehicle with extra precautions, such as leaving it in first gear for manual cars or “P” for automatic vehicles.
• Avoid parking on slopes (uphill or downhill) until the inspection and any necessary repairs have been completed.
• The NCC says vehicle owners should take their cars to any authorised Volkswagen dealership as soon as possible.

Free inspection and repairs

Acting Commissioner Hardin Ratshisusu urged affected motorists to act quickly.

“Given the high potential risks of the defect, owners of affected vehicles are urged to immediately get their vehicles to any authorised VW dealership for inspection,” he said.

Volkswagen confirmed that all inspections and repairs related to the recall will be done at no cost to vehicle owners.

The NCC says it will continue monitoring the recall to ensure compliance with consumer protection laws and to safeguard motorists.

Plans to deploy members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) in the Western Cape seem to be taking shape, with the SAPS plans intended for full implementation in April.  

A presentation on the planned deployment was discussed during a joint meeting between the Portfolio Committees on Police and Mineral & Petroleum Resources on Wednesday.    

Major General Mark Henkel said joint mission readiness training is being conducted between the SAPS and the SANDF to prepare members for operations in specific environments. The training is on communication protocols and SAPS use-of-force guidelines, including escalation procedures. 

Henkel explained that SAPS members will work within SANDF units for coordination and understanding of legal powers and procedures.  

He further stressed that soldiers will always operate alongside police officers, with SAPS leading operations at crime scenes, regardless of rank. 

Operational coordination will be carried out through joint structures, including the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS), at national, provincial and local levels. 

“These operational objectives that we strive to achieve will be crime reduction in the designated action areas, the arrest of offenders, the recovery of illicit firearms, ammunition and explosives and also the confiscation of ‘tools of trade’ and illicit narcotics,” Henkel said. 

National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola said the operation will coincide with the introduction of a new organised crime policing model. 

“We will start pilot this month of March for the organised crime implementation model both in Gauteng and Western Cape. But we’ll go full scale implementation of the organised crime model from 1 of April,” Masemola said. 

Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia cautioned that the deployment is intended as a temporary measure rather than a permanent solution. 

“The deployment of the SANDF is not being presented as a panacea, as a magic bullet… the deployment of the army as a stabilisation strategy,” Cachalia said. 

The planned deployment is scheduled to run from 1 March until 31 March 2027 and forms part of broader efforts to tackle gang violence, illegal mining and organised crime across the country. 

Western Cape police have confirmed that an inquest into the death of a 6-year-old boy in December last year has been changed to a murder investigation.

The boy’s body was discovered inside a washing machine at his family’s home in Ensor Street in Cafda, Retreat, on 19 December.

The boy’s father had reported his son missing at the local police station, which led to officers visiting the family’s home.

After initiating a search for the boy, they discovered the body of the child inside the washing machine. It is unclear how he ended up inside the appliance.

The boy was declared dead on the scene by medical personnel, and a post-mortem was conducted to determine his cause of death.

Reports indicate the autopsy was concluded, finding that the boy died of unnatural causes, which initiated the murder investigation.

Police Captain F.C. van Wyk says that due to the sensitive nature of this case, he is not able to elaborate further on the matter.