The North-West University’s (NWU’s) Vanderbijlpark Campus recently hosted a crime summit to discuss the university’s safety initiatives.

The summit, organised by Protection Services, took place in a blended format, and was aptly themed “Act against crime together”.

The event came against the backdrop of the NWU being ranked the safest university in South Africa in a worldwide survey conducted by education and technology platform StuDocu.

Joseph Ntlati, head of Protection Services on the campus and host and speaker at the summit, says the event is part of Protection Services’ strategy to ensure safety on all NWU campuses and in surrounding areas.

“The aim of this summit is to improve the overall student experience, to enhance student safety on all campuses – in addition to existing initiatives and safety practices – and to promote the NWU’s caring culture.”

“We want to ensure that the NWU is at the forefront of safety,” adds Joseph.

Deputy vice-chancellor for planning and Vanderbijlpark Campus operations, Prof Linda du Plessis, says that even though only a third of NWU students reside on university premises, the safety of every NWU student is essential.

“The safety of students on and off our campuses is and will stay a top priority for the NWU. We need to work together as a community to create surroundings conducive to learning. Along with other stakeholders, we are making funds available to create an even safer environment for our students.”

Other speakers at the event included Daya Moodley, a representative from the South African Banking Risk Information Centre, who spoke about ATM fraud and scams.

Warrant officer Mthimkhulu from the South African Police highlighted the common crimes students fall prey to, including gender-based violence, and shared preventative measures students should take.

Representatives from the Emfuleni Local Municipality addressed attendees on various issues. Selina Moeti and Solly Maduna from the Traffic department talked about common traffic offences and consequences, while Thabiso Mosiane from Disaster Management offered his insights on emergency preparedness and creating a safe environment for students.

Next, Jacob Ngobeni from the Fire department explained the roles and responsibilities of his department, and shared their strategies and response measures in the eventuality of fire incidents. Lerato Pheela from Public Safety shared more on the crime prevention and safety programmes the municipality is involved in to help combat crime in the area.

Finally, Gorge Temane from NWU Student Counseling and Development spoke about common crimes that affect students.

Event host and head of Vanderbijlpark Protection Services Joseph Ntlati addresses attendees during the crime summit.