Western Cape launches major road-safety blitz

Posted on December 8, 2025December 8, 2025 by

Over 600 Western Cape provincial officers and more than 300 vehicles will be deployed across the Western Cape this festive season to ensure that residents and visitors travel safely across the province.

The purpose of this campaign is simple: to make sure every person using our roads feels safe, protected, and able to reach those important moments with friends and family.

This was revealed on Saturday 6th December, at the Western Cape Mobility Department’s 2025 Festive Season Road Safety launch event held in Beaufort West, one of the province’s busiest travel corridors. The plan highlights the Western Cape Government’s commitment to going above and beyond to protect road users during the peak holiday period.

Our roads are connecting people coming together to celebrate, to find joy, to rest, relax and enjoy the company of loved ones. The Western Cape Government will be working night and day to ensure that our roads are safe.

Speaking at the launch, Western Cape Mobility Minister Isaac Sileku said this year’s approach is designed to ensure that every resident and visitor reaches their destination safely. “One life lost is one too many.

We enter this festive season with an unwavering determination to ensure that everyone is safe on our roads. We have a comprehensive, well-coordinated plan, but we cannot do this alone. Road safety is up to all of us, so please follow the rules of the road and take frequent breaks.” said Minister Sileku.

“We want to see sons and daughters reunited with parents after a year at school. We want to see brothers meeting up after months apart working in different parts of the province. We want friends to meet in a coastal town and enjoy a braai together reflecting on the year that was,” added Minister Sileku.

Key components of the festive season plan

The Western Cape has rolled out one of its most extensive safety operations to date. Core elements include:
*665 traffic officers deployed around the clock across the province
*A fleet of over 300 traffic vehicles
*Fully operational Evidentiary Breath Alcohol Testing (EBAT) centres and mobile units for alcohol enforcement
*Mobile Vehicle Testing Units to monitor roadworthiness, especially in the public transport and freight sectors
*High-visibility patrols to reduce speeding, distracted driving and reckless behaviour
*Fatigue-management interventions along long-distance routes such as the N1, N2 and N7
*Targeted pedestrian safety operations in high-risk areas

The plan also includes joint efforts with SAPS, EMS, municipal traffic services, and various safety partners, ensuring a coordinated and rapid response to incidents. Weather and disaster contingencies form part of the integrated operational approach.

Throughout the festive period, the Department will run a multi-platform awareness and behaviour-change campaign focusing on fatigue, pedestrian safety, alcohol abuse, speeding, and vehicle fitness.

"Enforcement alone cannot change behaviour. Every motorist, passenger and pedestrian has a role to play. Check your vehicle, rest often, be patient, be vigilant, and never drink and drive. Let us work together to ensure a safer festive season for all,” said Maxine Bezuidenhout, the Department’s Chief Director: Traffic Management.

Minister Sileku extended his appreciation to all officers and emergency teams working throughout the festive season. “I wish every traffic officer, SAPS member, EMS responder, municipal traffic officer, and disaster management team strength and safety during this period. Your commitment and sacrifice do not go unnoticed. You are the backbone of our road safety response, and we thank you for your service,” he said.

The Western Cape Government reminds all residents and visitors that road safety is a shared responsibility. Motorists are urged to rest between long trips, obey the rules of the road, ensure their vehicles are roadworthy, and respect the instructions of law enforcement officials. Pedestrians are encouraged to use designated crossings, wear visible clothing, and avoid walking near roadways while intoxicated.

“Together, let us ensure that every journey ends safely. Let us all return safely home this festive season,” Minister Sileku concluded.

Tygerberg Hospital completes SA’s first fully internal limb reconstruction

Posted on December 8, 2025December 8, 2025 by

Tygerberg Hospital has reached a major national milestone by performing South Africa’s first fully internal bone transport and limb-lengthening reconstruction.

The hospital is a flagship tertiary facility of the Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness (WCDHW).

In partnership with Stellenbosch University, the hospital now stands among only a few centres worldwide with the capability to perform this advanced limb salvage technique within the public sector.

The provincial department said the patient, a 64-year-old former police officer, had lived with the long-term consequences of a severe gunshot injury sustained in 2018.

“Despite multiple surgeries elsewhere, he continued to struggle with chronic pain, an unhealed fracture, and a substantial difference in leg length that affected his quality of life.”

Professor Nando Ferreira said: “This operation demonstrates how far we have come in building world-class limb reconstruction capacity within the South African public sector. For patients who have lived for years with chronic pain and disability, advanced internal bone transport offers a genuine second chance at normal function.”

The surgeons had to reconstruct a 50 mm bone defect and correct a 30mm limb-length discrepancy.
The fully internal device allows surgeons to complete both bone transport and subsequent limb lengthening without external frames, improving comfort, reducing complication risks, and shortening recovery.

The newly regenerated bone is expected to form over roughly 100 days, followed by several months of consolidation

According to the International Centre for Limb Lengthening, bone transport is a procedure to grow new bone in a region where there is a missing section of bone due to infection, trauma or disease.

Ferreira said his unit was selected as one of only a few centres worldwide to use this procedure during its limited market release.

“This level of innovation reflects the strength of our surgical team, our academic partnership, and our commitment to delivering patient-centred care at an international standard,” he continued.

Expanding on the clinical benefits, Dr Edward Fuzy explained how this method allows them to tackle complex bone loss in a single operation while avoiding many of the complications of traditional approaches.

Tygerberg Hospital CEO, Dr Matodzi Mukosi, welcomed the milestone as evidence of the institution’s excellence.

“This breakthrough highlights the incredible talent and innovation within our hospital. It shows what is possible when clinical excellence and strong partnerships work together for our patients.”

The department said the milestone reflected the Western Cape’s broader effort to build a health system that supports people throughout their life journey. The advanced trauma and limb reconstruction services play a vital role in helping residents live well by restoring mobility, dignity, and independence.

“The skills developed through this procedure could strengthen orthopaedic care for children who start life with congenital limb differences or experience early trauma, helping them start well.”

This means older adults, who are increasingly vulnerable to injury and complex fractures, could benefit from safer surgical innovation that helps them age well with greater confidence and mobility.

“Achievements like this are only possible because the provincial health system continues to run well through strong governance, academic partnerships, and the commitment of clinicians who serve the 85% of residents who rely on public healthcare.”

The department said that for many patients in the Western Cape, particularly those from vulnerable communities who carry the long-term burden of trauma-related injuries, this breakthrough offers a realistic pathway back to work, independence, and improved quality of life.

NATJOINTS, Madlanga Commission discuss safety of witnesses

Posted on December 8, 2025December 8, 2025 by

The National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS) on Saturday met with officials of the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry following the killing of Marius van der Merwe.

Van der Merwe, who was killed on Friday, 5 December, recently testified before the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Criminality, Political Interference and Corruption in the Criminal Justice System as Witness D.

Officials from the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development also formed part of the meeting to discuss the safety and security of witnesses and officials.

The meeting, held in Pretoria at the NATJOINTS Operations Centre, agreed to enhance the Commission’s security operational plan over the next two days.

“While extensive measures have been put in place to secure witnesses and officials since the start of the Commission, the meeting identified a need to heighten these measures by roping in the NATJOINTS and all other relevant role players.

“As investigations proceed into the murder of Mr Van Der Merwe, members of the public are urged not to speculate,” NATJOINTS said, adding that media will be briefed in due course.

Van der Merwe was shot in full view of his family outside their Brakpan home. He was a Brakpan-based security industry member and former Ekhurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department official.