A Stellenbosch University (SU) student has raised safety concerns in one of the university’s residences for men following incidents of theft and burglary.
The student, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of victimisation, said they had complained about the Helderberg Mens’ Residence to the university, but their complaints were ignored.
The university on Tuesday said three security- related incidents were reported during the past year. In one incident, a student’s room was burgled after a door was left unlocked.
The student said: “One of the main concerns is the safety of the residents. The primary gate to the residence has been broken for months and left open, which has resulted in the theft of belongings and bicycles. With the ongoing issue of load shedding, the residence, which is one of the furthest from the campus, has not been allocated any generators or study areas within the residence with wi-fi,” the student said.
On the issue of the gate and security, SU’s director of risk and protection services, Dr Viljoen van der Walt, said initially, the gate was deemed general maintenance.
“It turned out to be a far more complex issue and a project was registered to solve the problem in the longer term. To ensure safety during the repair phase, an extra security guard was placed at Helderberg.
“During the past year, only three security-related incidents were reported; a stolen bicycle, a car accident and a student’s room being burgled (the door was unlocked).”
Senior director at the university’s commercial services division, Hein Swanepoel, said funds had been allocated to ensure all residences will at least have access to emergency lights and inverters by the end of the year.
“Helderberg residence is next in line to be refurbished as part of Stellenbosch University’s more extensive campus-wide renewal process.
In the interim, all reported general maintenance issues is up to date and will be attended to in the normal course of business.
“Load shedding is putting extra strain on the institution’s resources, but remains a priority.”
Cape Times