A female student claims she was flashed by an individual outside a bathroom in the Wits FNB building.
A female student at Wits University’s School of Accountancy says she was flashed by a man leaving a toilet in the FNB Building last week.
The student who wishes to remain anonymous says the man in work overalls showed her his genitalia while she attempted to enter a toilet around lunch time.
“He had unzipped his pants and he was erect … I turned around, I was scared and alone because the bathrooms in the FNB building are quite enclosed,” she said.
According to the student, there was no security personnel near the scene but she later reported the incident to Wits Campus Control. She says Campus Control reviewed CCTV footage from the vicinity together with her but the alleged perpetrator could not be identified as the cameras did not extend to the spaces leading to the toilets.
Security and Liaison Office Manager at Wits University, Lucky Khumela, confirmed that Campus Control had received a complaint about the incident from a female student. He added that the cameras could not assist in the case as, “It would be against the privacy policy and human dignity act to focus the cameras on the door of the ablutions. Some people leave the bathroom still preparing themselves and that’s a challenge.” Khumela said the case has been taken up by the Gender Equity Office (GEO) as it is gender-related but Campus Control is assisting in the investigations.
Khumela urges students and staff members to make use of the various emergency resources, such as the My SOS application which can be downloaded on a smartphone. Khumela urged students and staff should not rely solely on the CCTV systems, which are electronic and may malfunction at any given time.
The Accounting student says that while the perpetrator could not be identified, she feels unsafe on campus and felt the need to share her experience to alert other students.
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