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SA universities 'not safe'
12/05/2008 12:05  - (SA)  

Woman raped at Rhodes Man jailed for raping students

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Themba Keswa, News24 User

For South Africans to grasp the fact that South African universities are the most dangerous places to be in these days, visit any student at any university in the country and experience it for yourself.

Recently I visited an old friend of mine at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban. After graduating from the University of Durban-Westville as it was in 1996, I had never again set foot at any university campus. I was very busy pursuing my career.

My friend is wrestling with his final year of the Engineering degree. I entered the gate of the campus, and following his directions, I landed in his room at his university residence. What struck me as I entered was the lack of security at the residence. From the conspicuous absence of a security guard at the main gate, to the student rooms that were also not monitored by any security, I could see the students' safety was at stake.

"Make sure that your car is locked," my friend advised. "There is a lot of crime here," he concluded.

"In the residences" I asked.

"Particularly in the residences," he informed me.

Suddenly my mind raced and with horror, I recalled during my student days in the mid to late 1990s, how unsafe we were as students as well. Evidence is everywhere that universities have long moved from being tranquil villages of knowledge to being the centres of deaths where a lot of students lose their lives.

Just a few incidents that have occurred in university residences in the past few years: In 2008, Sapa reported how a female student was raped inside a Rhodes University residence. In 2007, a KZN newspaper reported that a 21-year-old US exchange student was raped at a UKZN residence. In 2007, a KZN newspaper reported how a Durban University of Technology student was raped at the campus residence. In 2006, a KZN newspaper reported how a 23-year-old student burnt to death in her residence room at the Pietermaritzburg campus of UKZN.

Bursting at the seems

The above is just a sample of incidents that have occurred and my friend informs me a lot of the tragic incidents get swept under the carpet to protect many campuses' good names. The university authorities themselves are aware of these violent new trends at their campuses.

After 1994, many campuses were restructured. Mergers of campuses became a buzzword. Small campuses suddenly became major campuses with up to 40 000 students in any academic year. Isolated South African universities became part of the global academic world and an influx of foreign students became a norm in South Africa.

Many campuses - with a higher number of students than usual and with many students from disadvantaged backgrounds failing to pay their fees, coupled with shrinking subsidies from the government - finally burst at their seams. Eventually they had to trim their budgets on some services. Security was one such casualty of the changing times.

Today in many campuses in South Africa, especially at the residences, security is almost non-existent. Students come in and out as they please. Outsiders gain entry without any trouble in student residences. Just like the inner-city suburbs of many South African cities, university campuses became neglected over time.

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