Following an increase in crime around education campus the Education Student Council has urged Protection Services to take action.
Students on Parktown Education Campus have urged Protection Services to improve security around the area in response to the increase in crime in recent weeks.
In a Facebook post on Saturday, April 8, the Education Student Council (ESC) announced that they had spoken to management at the last executive meeting before the student elections about the increase in muggings and that management said that they would look into solutions to the crime epidemic in and around the Parktown campus.
ESC Chairperson Vusi Mchunu told Wits Vuvuzela that there is a crisis at the campus and that students are worried about their safety.
“There is a problem at the campus, especially around the main entrance. A lot of students have told me that they are getting mugged as they are entering the university,” he said.
“There is a huge outcry. The university has put in security measures but they are not enough. We’ve spoken to the Dean of Humanities [Ruksanna Osman] and lodged a complaint. We’ve also laid our grievances to Protection Services” he said.
Director of Protection Services Mokgawa Kobe told Wits Vuvuzela that the issue with the Parktown campuses is a result of the location.
“Yes, there is a challenge of crime in the Parktown area,” he said.
“The area is not very far from Hillbrow and there is a park [Peter Roos Park] right in front of education campus where there is a lot of crime that is taking place. So the reality of the matter is that the area is not a very safe area.”
Mokgawa said that the university has deployed more officers around the campus to ensure that students feel safe.
“We have deployed unarmed officers around the area and this has been effective so far. We have also hired private companies [Fidelity Security and Bad Boyz] some working at night and others during the day and they assist in escorting students,”said Mokgawa.
“It is a continuous challenge. If we take our eye off the ball, we will be hit. But what we are doing right now is stabilizing the situation,” he said.
Chair of the security committee at Education Campus Deborah Zeller reassured students that education campus remains one of the safest campuses.
“If things happen, we can’t help if we don’t know,” she said.“Every incident is supposed to be reported. If there are problems, action can only be taken once we are informed.”
She has urged students to notify Protection Services if any crimes occur in and around the campus.
FEATURED IMAGE: Students walking out of the Parktown Education Campus on York Street, one of the crime hot spots around the Parktown area. Photo: Tshego Mokgabudi
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