Municipal police oversee traffic control; other policing is provided by the South African Police Services.
"I've been doing this job for close to 20 years," said Chris R. Shepherd, who helps oversee Traffic's Southeast Asia operations, "and I can say it's never been anywhere near as bad as it is now".
Paul J. Browne, the chief spokesman for the Police Department, which oversees traffic enforcement, could not shed any more light, saying in an e-mail message, "We'll wait for the final outcome on the bill before commenting further".
Federal agencies that oversee traffic at seaports, airports and railways warn that with less funding, they would have to cut personnel, slowing the distribution of goods nationwide and debilitating commerce.
German controllers and British controllers earn on average €150,000 and €120,000 a year, respectively, according to Eurocontrol, the agency overseeing air traffic.
Residents who hire renovation workers and then disappear may make the mistake of assuming that the interior decorator or contractor is overseeing the traffic.
"Sometimes people are waving at you, and you think they are trying to say 'hi,' " said Fredricka V. Bostic, 46, a supervisor overseeing the traffic direction.
Patrick LeNoel, an air controller who was at work recently overseeing the traffic on the ground near the B, D and F terminals, said he agreed in principle with Air France's decision.
It began with the dullest and most arcane aspect of computer management: the operating system, which is little more than a monitoring program in charge of helping other programs get their work done, guiding them to devices they need, helping them interact, overseeing the traffic.
Mr. Coronel's organization, known for overseeing cocaine trafficking, was also believed to have been one of the first to begin producing large quantities of methamphetamines in hidden laboratories in Mexico, the F.B.I. said.
