An “epidemic of incomprehensible violence”

An “epidemic ofincomprehensible violence”

SA’s latest scourge

South Africa’s universities are reeling in the wake of the deaths of multiple students in recent weeks, some as a result of brutal attacks.

A statement issued by Universities SA (USAf ), following the rape and murder of UCT student Uyinene Mrwetyana and the murder of UWC student Jesse Hess, spoke of a “truly tragic moment in our country’s history, a moment that has moved South African society, across constituencies, to say enough is enough”.

Calling for political leadership and a practical agenda to deal with the scourge of student and gender-based violence, USAf said it represented the vice-chancellors of the country’s 26 universities.

Crime patterns South Africa’s 26 universities and 50 TVET colleges are each a microcosm of the greater society in which they are situated, says Des Ayob, Director in the Department of Protection Services at North West University.

Crime threats and patterns therefore differ from one institution to the next, although there are certain common threads, he points out.

One of the most critical risks comes on the back of a shortage of accommodation on campus. As a result, many students have to live off campus, says Mr Ayob, either walking or catching public transport to and from lectures, which makes them easy targets for criminals. Crimes against them range from robbery for their cell phones, laptops and cash, to sexual assault and murder.

“Students walking alone and those who are intoxicated or under the influence of drugs, are even more vulnerable.”

While most of the recent crimes perpetrated against students took place off campus, they were in so-called common areas, frequented by students. However, says Mr Ayob, there are ways to improve security in public spaces – crime awareness campaigns, active and visible patrols and observation duties are key. Also important is the sharing of crime/criminal information with the police, and here CCTV footage is paramount when it comes to deterring and arresting perpetrators.

So is 4IR (fourth industrial revolution) technology, he continues, where facial and license plate recognition cameras and incident reporting systems are essential tools for mitigating risk to campus communities.

A study of violence Derek Huebsch is a retired director of protection services at the Nelson Mandela University and an ex-executive president of CAMPROSA (Campus Protection Society of South Africa). He has done extensive studies of violence and safety in schools, colleges and campuses, both locally and in the USA.

In 2011, after addressing a safe schools summit hosted by South Africa’s Department of Higher Education, he warned that violence in schools and on campuses was both on the increase and under-reported.

Bullying and assault were already rife in primary and high schools, he said, with the underlying factors being socio-economic influences such as poverty, inequality, high failure rates, peer pressure and, to a certain degree, gangsterism. “It was clear that the tide of violence, in terms of numbers and nature, would increase and not only threaten schools but also higher education facilities,” he says. “I told them that if we didn’t act now, we were going to experience the same levels of violence as the USA within our own schools and universities within the next five to 10 years.”

Of the ongoing violence in schools and tertiary institutions today, he says some are the result of student protest action, while other incidents are personal. Because so many institutions run on tight budgets, security is often left until last. “This makes it difficult to establish a suitable security buffer as far as manual and technological solutions and preventative measures are concerned. And it’s not going to change very soon, so the focus at schools, colleges and universities needs to be that of a collective partnership, sharing of the responsibility to provide a safe and secure environment at all times.”

Even with a big budget, expensive and extensive technology is of no effect if it’s not supported by suitably trained support staff who know how to monitor and maintain the systems, he points out. “Institutions need to have properly formulated safety and security plans, and staff and students need to know what their responsibility is and what they can do in respect of prevention.”

“One could start a separate debate on the importance of what it means to share responsibility in terms of awareness, prevention, avoiding of negligence and complacency,” he continues. “At the moment our institutions are dealing with many learners and students who feel they have no responsibility, and that safety and security measures are there to prevent them from freedom of expression, choice and movement.” This, he says, is often the reason for non-compliance and a failure to adhere to safety and security regulations and requirements such as wearing institutional ID cards.

Most learning institutions in South Africa don’t have safety and security plans in place, or if they do, they don’t revisit them annually and update them, says Mr Huebsch further. Added to this is that many can’t afford technology or even physical barriers and a security presence at access points or gates. “At the very least, though, they need to create safe areas for pick-ups and drop-offs that only allow recognised access,” he maintains.

In closing, he says that security is a right to which everyone is entitled. Regardless of means, there needs to be a sound plan in place that includes awareness and prevention, along with a shared responsibility around creating and nurturing a safe and secure environment. Government needs to provide more guidelines and support to schools to reduce risk, and communities need to become more involved in the security of their individual schools. “Businesses should see this as an opportunity to invest in and grow a safer community, city and country with responsible and accountable young people being brought through the educational environment into positions of leadership and economic growth.”