By Odwa Bafana Mkentane
Higher Education Deputy Minister Yusuf Cassim is calling for student safety to extend beyond university campuses to include transport routes, accommodation and surrounding areas.
Speaking at a national summit at UWC, he urged universities, municipalities and law enforcement to work together to address gender-based violence, harassment, unsafe transport, mental health and digital safety.
“Campus gates cannot be the boundaries of responsibility. We need to move from safe campuses to safe student precincts,” he said.
Citing the rape and murder of UCT student Uyinene Mrwetyana at the Claremont Post Office in 2019 as a stark reminder of the risks students face beyond university grounds, Cassim proposed a national Student Safety Compact as one of the solutions to address campus safety.
“Such a formation would bring together universities, municipalities, provinces, SAPS, accommodation providers, private security companies, technology providers, student leaders, the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) and the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) to collectively address student safety, drawing on their respective expertise. The compact should go beyond being a policy document by setting out clear responsibilities, measurable commitments and mechanisms to monitor progress,” said the Deputy Minister of Higher Education.
Photo: Yusuf Cassim / Facebook
